Fragments of Flesh
by liliaeth
Summary: The Marvel zombies start turning up in the regular Marvel Universe. Returned to their human forms, Peter especially has a hard time adjusting. - warning: death of major characters, it's Marvel Zombies, what did you expect?
1. Chapter 1

Trapped in a city of the living dead, men and women that fell through the cracks lived with whatever they could gather. He watched people walking under the sun, through the drudgery of life as if nothing was wrong with the shadows. Mike liked to think he was a philosopher, a musician and an artist. And if he played his music on empty bottles and built his art out of remnants of other people's lives or trash then that only made it more worthwhile to do so in the first place.

There was more than food to be found in a dumpster. The day before he'd found this gorgeous piece of shot glass, that caught the sun in a thousand angles when placed just right. And the day before that he'd dug up a pair of glass pearls that had gotten caught in between a banana peel. He'd washed it in the rain and used the pearls on the foot of his statue.

Mike had been digging through the dumpster behind Starlight's, a nightclub just out of his usual zone when he saw an arm. At first he thought someone had thrown a mannequin in the trash and he jumped in, hoping to get to it first before someone else did. He was shocked to find that the arm belonged to a man, a man who was still breathing.

The stranger was naked, and had blood flowing from his scalp and forehead. Mike flinched, what if the bastards that had robbed this poor sucker were still around. What would they do if they saw him help their victim? It gave him goosebumps just thinking about it. Maybe the guy deserved to be beaten up, undressed and thrown into a dumpster. He didn't know the guy, why should he risk himself for some stranger that might stab you in the back, the moment you turned away from them. Why should he care about someone he didn't know? The only ones in this city you could trust were the heroes. Not the shiny ones, the ones on the covers, all government approved. Those were as bad as the cops. No, the real heroes, the ones that stood with Cap. Those still cared about the likes of him. And not like those social workers, that talked as if they wanted to help you, when what they really wanted was to put you in the funny farm, lock you up, three meals a day and think they saved your soul. Not him, no sirree.

He dragged the man out of the trash and pulled him down. There was a bit of a sound when the flesh hit the curb. He quickly jumped down himself, hoping he hadn't hurt the poor bastard even more. Then he took off his own ratted coat and pulled it onto the wounded stranger. Good Samaritan he was, always ready to help another, but who ever helped him? Well who?

"Don't... don't belong here. Please stay ... away." The words came out as a whisper, endlessly. Mike barely even listened to the man, no not a man, more like a boy. He pulled the kid's arm over his shoulder and watched him put step by step until they got to one of those rare sanctuaries of safety in the darn canyons of the city. A bright shining ray of light amidst the squalor. The volunteers let him right in and helped him carry the stranger on to a couch. The poor bastard tried to resist, fumbling with his arms, but not really up to putting up a fight. Ain't no fun being carried like that, when your mind's fumbling off some other place.

"It's alright." an older woman gently stated as she got some bandages and some water. "Has someone called the police yet?" Nobody answered. She looked beautiful in fine blue array, a true lady amidst the squalor.

"Cops tops, bad boy Peter." The lady stared at the boy on the table, only now taking a good look of him. Mike could see her face, going from mere concern to fear.

"Peter?"

The boy's eyes opened and for a moment Mike thought he'd gone insane. The kid's eyes lighted up in bright shining silver, like a blowtorch in a deep swamp, but even with that in place of pupils he couldn't help notice the horror when the boy stared at the lady. It was in the way he shivered, the way he held his limbs as he scrambled right off the couch, crawling away from her to the wall in the blink of an eye.

"Dead, you're dead, gone, vanished, lost, ate you, ate you and her." He stared at her as if someone had handed him the answer. "It has to be a dream, isn't it? You just can't be here. Or if you are, then I'm not."

Mike had seen men like him, lost in their own minds. Not all of them could take care of themselves as well as he did. Just because you saw the angels and the demons, didn't have to mean you were helpless. But the boy mumbled on and on, even Mike's refined ears couldn't make any sense out of the words leaving his mouth.

The mad messenger personified, straight out of the storybook, telling our brave knights a tale of horror to prepare the wiry protagonist for the tale to follow.

"Nobody's going to hurt you." The kind lady stated, her quiet confidence in the face of such horror made her look even more like a saint. "You're safe here."

The messenger, who was more than he seemed at first glance, carrying the token for the story, the quest.

She reached out for the boy. Mike wanted to pull her back, didn't she see the boy was more dangerous than he seemed. Didn't she see those eyes, that horror that could turn to violence? He'd seen that look before, in men who had nothing left to lose.

"Close the doors; run for the hills. It's not like I could stop myself. Not this time. Not when it mattered. I tore you to pieces, you and MJ, took a slice of double meat, but was stopped before I made it three in one bun. There was so much blood, it tasted, tasted, no taste, just blood and flesh. Oh God I need to throw up."

Mike didn't understand how the woman could just sit there, and listen to the boy's mad ramblings while he wouldn't even let her touch his hands. When the police showed up a bit later, someone had managed to find the kid a blanket; he was still huddled in that same corner, scared whenever the old lady, May, got near him. Others had tried to approach him as well, but he started shrieking whenever they even came close.

His eyes were still glowing, but it didn't seem like they actually did something. One of the cops pulled the boy up. They seemed nice about it; they always did, till they had you...

"Where did you find him? Was anyone around? Who, what why?"

Chief interrogators of the dark city. Ready to throw him in a dungeon and throw away the keys, lock him with straight jackets until he took his meds and the world went back to the drabness it had before he saw the light. The old lady, May, then stood up for him as she'd done for the boy. Mike just wanted to run. He was pretty sure that the strange boy thought the same thing, but 'he' didn't fight the cops. He just sat there lost in the back of the car, staring at the mirrors as if the devil himself glared back at him.


	2. Chapter 2

Her arm was hurting. She'd dressed slowly that morning, desperate not to scrape the bruises. She knew she should call in sick. But after last weekend, and the three days the week before that, not to mention the other two times this month… if she called in sick again, she'd lose her job for sure. And she couldn't risk her job. Her job meant too much to her for that. She'd snuck out of the house, desperate not to wake 'him' up. The upstairs neighbor was standing behind the window, staring at her as she left. Lisa gave her a quick wave and went out the door.

Lisa didn't feel safe. Not in this city. She slipped into the hospital, smiling at anyone who bothered to notice her and wincing whenever she ran into someone who didn't. She tied her hair behind her back and whistled a tune as she replaced her clothes with scrubs.

Tonya threw her some slips to put over her shoes and she cringed as she bent down.

"Was it that bastard again?" Tonya asked. Lisa flinched.

"I've told you before girl, you should just drop that bastard, go to the cops, and get him sent to the big house. That nigger ain't worth shit."

Lisa gasped, quickly looking around, hoping no one had heard them.

"Oh don't go playing pc on me girl, I'm black, I'm allowed to say 'nigger' when I feel like it." Tonya took a comb through her hair and removed the last of her make up before turning her all professional face back at Lisa.

"Don't go taking the blame girl, sleazebags like that ain't worth it. We've both seen plenty a women come in, looking like you and worse. And you ain't never had a problem telling them to run for the hills." Lisa looked away from her, checking the mirror, hoping Nick hadn't clipped her face by accident. He always tried to avoid that.

She wasn't like those other woman. She was sure of it, Nick loved her. He just got angry, losing his job like that. He didn't mean to hurt her. She just shouldn't have annoyed him like she did.

Tonya shrugged, she seemed about ready to slap her, Lisa looked away and went to work, pulling on her nurse face. Smiling nicely, patient, quiet, ready to help. An old lady was sitting on one of the benches in the waiting room, holding her arm covered in a towel. She wasn't moving. A woman was yelling at Theresa behind the reception to get her mother some help. But no matter how sorry they felt for people, they couldn't just move up the lines for anyone unless it was a real emergency.

Some kid was brought in on a stretcher, gunshot wound in the stomach, gang member from the looks of his colors. His posse seemed to be making a nuisance of themselves around the vending machine. Then there was a kid who'd nearly choked on a chicken bone and his mother who seemed to be in shock, or that guy who needed to get his stomach pumped, because he'd decided that mixing drugs and beer was a good idea. Even after that, he still had a look of bliss on his face. If you asked him, he'd probably tell you it was worth it, all of it.

She'd been in the emergency ward, anything for a coffee when the doors burst open. A huge black man came in, carrying a white woman. They were both wet. Her hair was drenched and when Lisa came closer she saw clots of blood in the woman's hair. Her face was a myriad mix of bruises, barely even recognizable as a woman. A couple of paramedics ran up to them and it surprised Lisa how gentle the guy carrying her was as he placed her down on the stretcher.

It seemed as if all the air was let out of him as soon as he let go of his precious cargo. He sank down in the middle of the hall, just grabbing his legs, breathing harshly. His eyes stood wide and white, as if unaware of anything around him.

Lisa dropped her drink and helped him up to a stretcher; one of the paramedics noticed what she was doing and took over before pushing her out of the way. Just one more victim in a night full of them, but there was nothing she could do.

Nothing but doing her job.

She noticed the guy again an hour later, the doctors were still working on the woman, and some of the paramedics had bandaged the guy and given him some pants. He looked like total beefcake with a fair helping of good country eating.

The man seemed oddly confused. 'Yet another one'.

He said his name was T'Channa, claimed to be Wakandan and said the woman was called Janet. Aside of muttering about some kind of a giant; that had been all they'd managed to get out of him. Lisa stopped listening and started rolling up some of the clean bandages that had gotten tangled up.

When she was sent to the woman's room later, it shocked her to see just how bad the white girl looked. Her eyes were swollen, her nose was broken. They couldn't even clean her up yet, because the police wanted to do a rape kit as soon as she was stable. Lisa prayed to god that she turned out to be negative.

Even battered and bruised, you could still see that the woman was gorgeous Lisa covered her up under the sheets, pulling them tightly so there was no risk of her falling out of the bed. Then she took the woman's blood pressure and checked her temperature. She warmed the thermometer in her hands for a few seconds before inserting it.

That's when her patient woke up for a second and grabbed her hand. Her hand broke free from the straps and she clenched Lisa's hand harshly enough that Lisa feared she was going to break it.

"I'm not alone! He's still out there!"

"Who?" Lisa stared at the woman, trying not to notice the closed up eyes, the broken bones, the broken teeth.

"He's still addicted to the taste." She spat out blood and Lisa yelled for a doctor while trying to do what she could to keep the woman from chocking on her own tongue. "I tried to stop him, keep him from killing T'Channa, but he was too strong for me. It's all my fault, all my fault." The woman sat up, one eye wide open. "Tell T'Channa, he's still hungry for flesh." She screamed the words, repeating them over and over again. Lisa tried to calm her down, push her back into the pillow while telling her she'd give him the message.

When she finally fell down, Lisa thought the fight was over, but the monitors sent out an alarm. And Lisa stood there, wondering about the woman taking the blame as she sent herself in a cardiac arrest, refusing to calm down. Lisa just didn't understand what could possibly be so important, more important than her life.


	3. Chapter 3

They got the call ten minutes ago. Some trash picker had made a weird find that morning. Even in New York you didn't tend to find some naked guy in the trash. It just wasn't his day, he'd been supposed to go off duty in half an hour, but with his luck he'd spend all morning at the station filing reports.

They parked the cruiser and went up to the shelter; some volunteers were serving food, most everyone was trying to stay on one side of the room. Except for May Parker who was trying to talk the kid into looking up. Vin stood shocked when she saw why. The guy looked just like his roommate. In fact, if it weren't for the glowing white eyes, Vin would be pretty sure that it was his roommate.

"Did you run?" Those eyes formed shadows over a face that looked too young for the horror it held. "That's how it happens. They run and you jump after them, they try to hide and you pull them back out, sink your teeth in their flesh and tear it to ribbons till the blood gushes over your gloves and your mask is torn." Peter, or someone who looked just like him, crouched towards him, face forward, on hands and feet. His voice sounded like his friends and him in the scouts had tried to sound, while they sat over a campfire, trying to sound creepy. Yet somehow it failed to be even slightly funny.

Vin shivered and tried to keep from shaking under those empty white eyes.

"I'd bend their spines and snap them. Bad bad Peter under the hat, cops tops, bullets won't hurt. Can I hurl now, and go bye bye Peter, off to the clouds he went."

O'neill mouthed "Bonkers", but went up to the guy anyway.  
"We're just here to help." He said.

The guy sat there looking at them and didn't even bother to put up a fight. All Vin could do was look at those eyes and fear. It couldn't be Peter, could it? Was insanity of your roommate a valid reason to get out of a lease agreement? If this was really Peter, then he hoped it was.

A weight fell of his chest when he saw a familiar face appear in the door. Peter Parker, himself. Good, that meant he wouldn't have to start looking for a new roommate just yet. It was strange that Peter seemed more annoyed than anything to find out he had a mad double. Almost as if it was nothing new.

Peter wanted to come along to the hospital with them, and Vin didn't know how to tell him no. There was no reason why Peter should go along, but no reason that he shouldn't either. And they would have to ask him some questions about the double, like how Peter had suddenly gained an identical twin. Vin kept quiet while O'Neill asked the questions and all the while that strange double kept muttering on and on, not a single bit of it making sense. Vin stepped into the ambulance just as he saw Peter getting into the cruiser with O'Neill.

They strapped the guy up in the back of the ambulance, Peter two just looked at him and it was like having someone step on your grave.

"Watch him. Carefully, if you're his friend, then one day he'll carve you up and eat you like steak."

"Watch who?" Vin sat down on the bench next to the stretcher that they'd tied the guy to.

"Him me, anyone that wears the blue and red or other colors." His voice sounded soft, eery. "We all fell that day, even the most pure amongst our number." As if you wanted to pat him on the back, but didn't out of fear that he'd take it as an invitation to sink his teeth into your flesh.

Vin kept staring out of the window. He had to stop himself from pouncing on the front of the ambulance to get them to tell him if they'd arrived, so he could get away from the guy. And no, it wasn't just because the guy was some kind of superhuman freak with glowing white eyes. He wasn't that much of a … what's the word, racist, speciist? Who gave a damn.

"Like you?" He answered; almost ten minutes after the double had started talking.

"No," The man laughed and Vin felt hell freeze over as he did. "I was never pure, too creepy and crawly for that. But even the children fell when the hunger came."

Vin kept trying to come up with a way to describe how it felt, but not a single expression in the English language went deep enough to describe the sheer terror that voice evoked in him.

The double fought the straps and Vin almost grabbed for his gun as he did so.

"You're all dead you know." Vin wanted to get away from him, but in the close confinement of the ambulance there was nowhere to go. "It's not your fault that you aren't real. I'm just insane, seeing all of you, while the others are probably laughing at me for seeing all these dead bodies when there's nobody left." Vin would almost expect him to start crying at that. "This is just a dream. But I shouldn't be dreaming. We don't sleep you see. Can't dream without sleeping, can't see MJ without dreaming. I can't feel the guilt when I don't see her eyes."

Vin was still trembling when the doctors took the guy off their hands. He was staring through the glass as they took him to the mental ward. The initiative was already sending someone. Seems like whomever their double was, he was unregistered.

Vin wondered if they were going to talk to Peter as well. He really didn't want to look for a new roommate.


	4. Chapter 4

For a man whose power was to show everyone else's greatest fear, people never seemed to wonder, what it was that he feared. Up until this day, Terry wouldn't have been able to answer that question.

Trauma had been sent along with the SHIELD doctor, just in case, to check up on some superhuman who'd been brought to the mental ward of Bellevue Hospital. They didn't know who it was, but according to readings he was a class twelve at least. That was major. Trauma had had some counseling training, but even that didn't prepare him for the sheer volume of collected mental pain that hit him as soon as he entered the ward.

He tried to close off from them, to isolate his mind so he wouldn't accidentally reach too far and get trapped in their insanity. It was hard to ignore their moans and rambling. The place his mom was living at; was nicer than this one, it was a home after all, but it hurt almost as much as this set of rooms did. Bellevue's psychiatric ward was merely a temporary location for most of these people. Some place for them to receive first care and evaluation.

He really didn't like mental hospitals, it made him wonder why he'd ever agreed to become Camp Hammond's councilor.

They were led down the hall until they stood in front of a triple locked door. Trauma nearly stumbled over the sheer mountain of emotion hiding behind the metal frame. He almost wanted to stop the doctor. You didn't need to open the gates to hell. But of course he didn't, they were here to do a job, not to judge. The first thing he noticed was the bareness of the room. You could see the spot where there had been a mirror, bits from the side were still clinging to the wall, but only by basic miracle. Even those shards were cracked. The room didn't contain much more than the bed, it wasn't slept in.

"He tore the mirror straight of the wall." One of the nurses said. "He tore it apart and melted the pieces; went utterly insane just staring at it." Terry could see a shard still lying in a corner, he guessed they must have missed it when they were cleaning up. Careless, but somehow Terry couldn't blame them. No one would feel comfortable staying in this room for too long.

There was a young man sitting in the back of the room. His eyes shone a bright white. The guy was cutting his nails in his flesh, as if he was trying to feel something. There were red streaks in his skin, but no actual injuries. Trauma gently tried to touch out to the stranger and nearly pulled back at the sense of revulsion in the other. No not revulsion, not aimed at him at least.

He hadn't felt this much recoil since his mother…

The doctor took a step back and Terry moved into the room.

"We drugged him when he came in. Yet the straps didn't even bother him when he decided to get up."

Terry could see what was left of them clinging to the mattress.

"Superstrength, possibly enhanced healing." The SHIELD doctor stated it off as a dry list "Probably some kind of energy related power, noticing from the eyes.".

Trauma nodded. He was here to take the first step, he was the one with powers after all. The guy had been passive so far, but they couldn't possibly know how long that'd last.

He forced a smile on his face and entered the room, one step at a time. "Hi" He went up to the patient and knelt down next to him. "I'm Trauma. I'm with the Initiative. Have you heard of that?" He trailed off into the last words, shrinking back under those eyes.

"Hero?" the man asked, his voice was soft, gentle, like an innocent's, but there was feeling behind the words, so much that it nearly struck him down.

"Yes, I'm a superhero."  
Trauma managed to answer, not that he believed it. He was simply Terrence, weird Terrence, the crazy emo kid. But right now, he could help someone, that was why he was here, wasn't he?

"There's no such thing left." There was no power behind the words; just a sad sense of mourning. "Not anymore, not ever." The man went from quiet to furious in the blink of an eye. But he still wasn't moving, just sitting there. Then the next second Trauma felt himself pushed to the floor. The patient in the white clothes was crouched on top of him, he was stronger than he'd looked at first sight. "It's too dangerous."

Terry reached out to the man's mind, pulling an image of his fear from his mind, trying to find something to stop him. Suddenly a raging hunger filled his gut, his heart and soul. He barely managed to stop back in time and pull back, change out of the form he'd nearly been trapped into. He wanted to just sit there, holding his gut and scream, but by then the stranger was aiming his hands at him. It was only the last tingles of the form he'd just let go off, that stopped him from being killed right that second. The guards came running in and pushed the mad man to the floor, tranquilizers at ready, they didn't seem to have any effect, but the patient wasn't even fighting anymore.

Terry stared behind him at the disintegrated wall, and the wall behind that one and so on. Something was in his throat and it didn't feel right. Terry pushed back, still trembling under the memory of the hunger.

"No more heroes." The man mumbled.

When Terrence stood panting against the wall a few minutes later, realizing just how close he'd come to getting killed in there, the SHIELD doctor came at him with a wet compress for the cut in his forehead.

"Why would he be so scared of Spider-Man?"

Terry couldn't answer, but he still remembered the hunger.


	5. Chapter 5

O'Grady had many a bad habit. He was a drunk, when he got his hand on beer. He was a womanizer when he could talk one into sleeping with him. He was a coward and a thief, a liar and a cheat. So it was all that and more that led him to the lab he was in now. He'd only joined up at Camp Hammond, because it suited him. Because it kept them from realizing he'd stolen the suit for his own fun and games, rather than because he'd had no choice.

So here he was, caught in a place full of goody two shoes, having to pretend he was as pure of heart as they were. At least not all the instructors seemed to give a damn on playing the big martyrs that some of them seemed to be in it for.

He'd gotten his current suit by knocking out Pym and then stealing his latest invention. It's what made him wonder if Pym had any new gadgets. The good doctor had locked himself in his lab for the past few days. Everyone thought he was working on something. Yet Eric had seen him move in and out of the lab when he thought no one was watching.

He hoped it was drugs, maybe if the good doctor had something to smoke, then Eric could use it to blackmail him into getting a nice free trip and a night on the town. Not Stamford, that wouldn't do, and most of the girls there weren't worth noticing. But New York. The big city, Manhattan.

Pretend he was out on a mission and spent some time in the clubs. Having something on Pym would definitely make his time here more manageable.

So he waited till Pym was off on another one of his trips to the city before using a security card that he'd swiped off one of the guards during a poker game to get into the lab. He was careful not to disturb any of the alarms. If working in SHIELD security for years had taught him anything, it was how to bypass alarms for matters of personal interest.

The lab looked pristine at first glance, until you noticed that things were too orderly. Things seemed to be put to the side, as if someone had cleaned up because they didn't mean anything anymore. Eric didn't know about Pym, but he was pretty sure he'd expected the man to be working on something at all times.

He sat in one of the chairs, turning around a bit. Then he did an eeny meeny miny moe to pick a cupboard or fridge to start his investigation in. He randomly opened some doors and found nothing but boring science ingredients. Then again, with how little he knew, they could be ingredients for some new drug or something. Still it didn't help him, if he didn't know what he was looking at.

Then he heard a sound coming from one of the doors in the back. He tried his card again, and opened the door. It was like entering a slaughterhouse, for real. Some old guy was spread out on one of the tables, straps holding him down. He seemed to be missing both his legs. Eric wondering if Pym was helping him or something, when he noticed what was left of a foot lying in a dumpster.

He took a step back, and bit his lips. Were those burn marks? He felt his stomach roll and leaned over the dumpster to throw up into it. Then he wiped his lips on a rag lying on the table's surface.

"Help me, please." The old man begged him. Eric backed away, opening another cupboard and looking straight at a human head. There were more, body parts and blood everywhere. Most of it was human, some of it was green.

"Please help me."

He let out a scream, a manly one and hurried out of the room, back to the lab. He could go for help. No reason to slow himself down trying to drag the old geezer with him. Why should he risk himself like that? He wasn't paying attention and ran right into Pym.

"I was just going to…" he tried to get out of it, but Pym just smiled and Erik backed away as fast as he could. It wasn't fast enough and Pym started growing. Eric shrank down, but Pym just placed a glass over him before he could get away.

"You have no idea how much I've been wanting to do this since I first found out about you." For the first time since he'd seen Pym at the helicarrier he was actually scared of the guy.

"I won't tell anyone. I promise." Eric tried, and he meant it, he could keep quiet. He didn't want to die.

"At least when Lang stole my suit, he wore it with pride, with dignity." Pym said while he pushed a bit of paper under the glass. Eric made himself grow, he knew it was going to hurt, but it was the only chance he had. He was right, it did hurt. He could feel himself getting cut as he broke through the glass, falling on the floor.

Pym pulled his mask over his face and came after him. Then some stupid pop tune started up. Eric tried to use it to slip away again, call an army of ants, anything. Pym swatted a finger and almost knocked him out.

"Sure Tony, I'll be there as soon as I can." It was all he heard Pym say to the phone as he was coming back to consciousness. He was no longer wearing the costume, he was still small, and he was lying on a plate, He quickly tried to scramble away. His head hurt. .

He had to sneak away, but Pym noticed him and flashed a smile. Had that insanity been in his eyes before? Eric didn't know, he didn't care. All he cared about was getting out.

Pym picked him up. His hand around his chest as he brought him closer and closer to that gaping jaw, his breath stank. Erik's screams were muffled as Pym bit in. No simple visits to the stomach this time.

Oh god this was gonna…


	6. Chapter 6

Only twenty minutes ago, Tony had been in bed, enjoying a mild slumber for the first time in the past 50 hours. It had taken him hours to get even that far. He pushed away a shirt that his last '_visitor'_ had left behind her, he guessed it was Clarissa. She tended to leave stuff like that behind to have an excuse to come back. He could enjoy the slight subterfuge. He wondered what she'd say to get him to give it back. Smiling as he thought about those little dimples in her chin. He wondered if Pepper would mind too overly much if he asked her to have it ironed. He was pretty sure she'd beat him with a crowbar if he even tried..

Three hours of sleep, couldn't they give him even that much before showing up with yet another disaster for him to deal with? If it hadn't been Reed Richards on the other side of the phone he wouldn't have bothered to pick up in the first place. But it was Reed, and this was a code 12 emergency and that required his appearance, even if he had to use extremis to keep his eyes open.

The whole cell block had been cordoned off. Prisoners had been moved to make place and guardsmen walked the walls now until the new arrival could be removed to a more suitable location. Tony took off his helmet after landing and moved down to the surveillance wing.

The guards seemed uneasy, he recognized some of them. Two of them used to watch Carnage back at Ravencroft. Tony didn't think he'd ever seen them this ill at ease. The prisoner wasn't that much to look at, but that didn't mean much in a world where preteen children could lift trucks. The man seemed average, average looks, average size, average build. Like he could be anyone from any area of life.

Except for his eyes.

They'd bought him here over from Bellevue Hospital. After the damage caused by his unprovoked attack on Trauma, he was deemed to dangerous to stay in a public hospital.. Tony wished they could just get him out of the city, but the man needed a psychiatric review before they could send him to 42. The negative zone wasn't an easy place for anyone, for someone already suffering from mental instability, it could be the last straw to take him over the edge of what little sanity he had left.

His chart said that he'd been doped to the gills, not that it had done much good. The man's body had cleared them all in a matter of minutes. Hank was working on some kind of heavy duty tranquilizer at the moment, but who knows how much effect even that would have.

Tony turned to Reed, he wasn't sure what held his friends attention to his computer read outs as much as it did, but whatever it was, it seemed to worry him. A worried Reed Richards was about the furthest thing from good, imaginable.

Their prisoner was a level 12 superhuman, showing up out of nowhere, unregistered and deeply disturbed. Trauma had noted in his report that the guy had terrified him. Tony considered telling the young hero that that kind of thing should not be in official reports, but if these readings were true, he couldn't blame him. Compared to this guy, the Sentry looked like a bastion of common sense.

Steve used to make being the leader look so simple; with everyone looking up to him for answers. He wished he could just go back to his workspace back at Stark Tower and spend a few days working on a new suit. But he couldn't, not when people needed someone to solve their problems for them.

Tony stared back at the prisoner. Too bad they couldn't just call Spider-Man, and ask him if he knew the guy. If there was some kind of connection between the two, then maybe Spider-Man knew who he was. Heaven knows that Spider-Man tended to attract the nutcases almost as much as Daredevil did. Too bad that both of them had gone underground after the Civil War, if they hadn't… they could have used both of their experience. Only now, even if he could find Spider-Man, he'd have to arrest him and the wallcrawler would have to be locked up in a jailcell, only a few halls away from their mystery guest.

The patient/prisoner was crouched in the middle of the room. He ignored the bed and sat staring at everything and nothing. Tony wondered what he saw, that the rest of them didn't.. He was drawing something in the floor. Tony checked the monitors to get a better look but all it showed was a slight dent in the cement.

John Doe's prints had been checked and had only tangled things up even more. Their prisoner was a Peter Benjamin Parker, age 30. A graduate school drop out who seemed to have been blacklisted as a teacher; fired from working for the Bugle and basically didn't look like he'd ever done anything with his life.

The one thing that didn't match in that list; was that at this same moment Peter Benjamin Parker was currently sitting in a police station over in Queens, talking to a few police officers. His aunt works at the homeless shelter where their mysterious stranger had first shown up. Parker claimed he didn't know what was going on, and readings on him showed no sign on him having any energy related powers. The police had earlier asked permission to just let him go, Tony had seen no reason to disagree.

They'd run a blood check as their first option. Doe definitely wasn't a Skrull, Dire Wraith or some other alien species of shape shifter that they were aware of. Aside from some irregularities in his blood stream, and the fact that he had cosmic powers inside of him, their guest was completely and utterly human.

Cloning maybe? Alternate dimensional counterpart, some weird twin that only just showed up… A blood sample of the other Parker should be arriving any second now and Tony wondered if it would tell them anything new.

"I thought I was wrong the first time around, but I wasn't." Reed sounded fascinated. "His energy signature, it matches with those of two others. The Silver Surfer …" and then he turned his eyes back on the prisoner, "and Galactus."


	7. Chapter 7

It was those moments of innocence, right before the tornado, when everything seemed peaceful and quiet, with merely a hint of oncoming wind that made the storm seem almost worse. Right now, Johnny Storm's biggest worry in the world was to keep from getting himself utterly and completely trounced by his cousin Franklin. Johnny was just about ready to give in to defeat when he found himself saved by the computer.

"Mister Storm sir, there's a visitor." The voice came out of an Iron Man doll that Reed had made for Franklin.

"Who is it?" He asked somewhat distracted for a second, he winced as it cost him as his avatar was hit from about five sides at once.

"It seems to be Mister T'Challa, sir." Roberta answered in her even tones. Reed was working on her emotion simulator, trying to get her to sound even more natural. Until he finished, it meant she sounded like the robot she was. Yet even in that tone, Johnny thought he felt some kind of uncertainty, like some part of her disagreed with what she'd just told him.

Franklin pouted when Johnny put down his controller. He also nagged. But then that was part of the game. That kid was getting far too good at this. A few more months and he could probably use him as a secret weapon against Ben. Johnny flew down to the lobby, taking a short cut by way of the stairs and put a smile on his face for their guest. A smile that quickly faded when he noticed an old man standing there. The weathered black man looked strong, formidable, even with one sleeve empty and leaning on a crutch made out of a piece of wood. He looked like someone no sane person would underestimate.

The stranger raised his hands indicating he meant no harm. He let go of his stick and leaned up against the reception desk.

"I don't know if you remember me." Johnny winced; he hoped this wasn't some guy from one of his fanclubs. He hadn't broken any promises yet had he? Or were they trying to rope him into something. He had meant to get back to that guy from the 'Make a Wish'-foundation. "We briefly talked while you were in our dimension a few years back. Your version of me, said you were there because of the magical frogs."

"In your… "Frogs? Shit. "Oh god the zombie dimension? You're their Black Panther. Uhm welcome, how …"

Johnny was just about to roll of a thousand questions, but T'Challa interrupted him.

"I'm not alone."

Johnny listened to him in horror. Images played before his eyes of the Skrull world they'd been on when the zombies hit it. Men, women and children screaming in fear. All dead within a day, and those had been Skrulls. Earth wouldn't stand a chance.

After that Johnny was flying. He'd tried to phone Reed, he'd tried to reach Ben, he'd even sent about five messages to the Black Panther and three more to the X-men. But nobody seemed to be willing to pick up the phone. He didn't understand why, play one phone prank, ok, maybe ten, and suddenly nobody takes your calls.

He saw the city below him as it was now, and as it could be if T'Challa was right. He closed his eyes, hoping that someone anyone would listen. Maybe they could still be on time. The dying hadn't started yet.

The guardsmen almost attacked him when they saw him coming. He barely managed to douse his flame in time to get them to recognize him and even then he was stared at with suspicion. He asked them for Reed and was sent down to the mental ward.

Johnny wondered if that was a coincidence.

He barely had to keep from turning his flame back on, from ignoring the guards' looks and just flying up to Reed. But he could understand their worries; it was only a few months since the last major riot. No wonder they didn't trust some hero coming in without even a hint of a warning.

"There's six of them."

T'Challa had said, punctuating each one with a tap on the desk..

"Spider-Man." Johnny had blanched at that, "Cage, Colonel America, Wasp, Giant Man and Wolverine."

That was one more than there had been to decimate that Skrull world.

Reed startled when Johnny came in.  
"Just a second I'll be right there." Long years of experience had taught Johnny that sometimes it was faster to just let Reed finish, than to try and interrupt him.

"They could be human." T'Challa had continued. "But they've been monsters for so long, I don't know how any of them, even Janet, would have coped with being human again."

And it was then that Johnny saw the patient that held Reed and Tony's attention. Reed hadn't been looking at him, but Johnny did, and he couldn't help notice the way the man was clinging to the wall, held up by his touch to the surface, rather than by his position on the floor.

The man saw him and flipped over, crouching on the floor and crawling to the glass towards him. Johnny took a few steps closer. So did the prisoner. Johnny put his hand on the glass. He was cautious, slightly uneasy. For some reason his mind chose this as the perfect moment to play the theme tune of Silent Hill. He would thank it later, with lol cat pictures, lots of them.

Then the man looked up with his glowing eyes, his hands twitching as his two middle fingers bended and his two outer fingers pointed towards the glass and Johnny knew for sure.

Spider-Man looked at him through what should have been a one way mirror; Johnny just wondered what kept him there.


	8. Chapter 8

Hank licked his lips as he finished of the last bits of flesh on the small set of bones. He loved having lips again. Lips and taste buds. He'd been eating icecream all morning, just to feel the sugar on his tongue. And then he'd gone on a roller coaster up in Ferris Island, just to feel the thrill of the air moving in his face.. He'd feared that human flesh would no longer taste now that he was human, but it had only improved upon it. Everything felt so much more intense now that he was human. He hoped it wasn't the mortality that made it so. Because he would miss these sensations, though not the pain that came with them, if he were to return to his evolved self.

It had hit him when he landed here two days ago. Human, vulnerable, defenseless. He could die so easily now, just stop being and stop feeling. It's not that he wanted to go back to being out of control or a puppet of his stomach as he'd been for years. Not that. But he wanted that strength back, that sense of convictions, of doing what was needed.

And humanity needed him to show them that. All he needed to do was reverse engineer the virus; to find a way to make it work for them; instead of against them. He'd been even more convinced of that, after he realized that the Pym of this universe had been replaced by a Skrull imposter. He'd planned to eat the guy and take his place, but someone had beaten him to it.

What if there were more of them? More Skrulls pretending to be human? Earth would have no defense. But if he managed to recreate the virus, take out the hunger, or most parts of it, and allow them to retain their senses, then they could protect earth. All in exchange for the lives of a few people that nobody would miss anyway. There were so many people on earth that served no purpose whatsoever, living meaningless lives, suffering every day and for what? Just so they could keep on existing?

Wouldn't it be much better to round up the homeless, feed them, keep them warm until they were fit and healthy and then gently put them out of their misery? Nobody would have to suffer. They could even sedate them before the feeding; he'd make sure of that. And this time, he'd make sure that nobody got too greedy, maybe one human a day for each of them, or even just half of one for some, that wasn't too much right? There were six billion of the sheep and what, two hundred heroes, at most? Besides, they'd probably have to lose some of the heroes anyway. The ungrateful ones, so stuck in their ways that they wouldn't understand how much better this new world would be.

They could handle losing less than a 100 thousand dregs of society a year, and even if they ran out of those, they could start a breeding program with the criminals. It would definitely help to keep crime down. No more need for prisons, other than as breeding farms. That way the guards could even keep their jobs and the prisoners could stop nagging about over population.

And all he'd have to do to make his utopia a reality; was to find a way to recreate the virus and alter it just enough, so that they'd be in charge of their own minds and thoughts. It's why he stayed here, plenty of labrats. He was high enough up in rank that no one would question him if he ordered a few of them to leave with him. Humans like the one he had in the lab were good for food, but they were too weak to hold up under the hunger. It wasn't even the powers, it was the personalities. You needed to be strong to be able to thrive under this source of evolution. It's why only the best of them got back up again, and the others were grounded between their teeth.

He thought about the call he'd just had. Tony had said they found a class twelve superhuman with cosmic powers inside of him. What it was one of the others? Parker, maybe Cage, it could even be Logan. How many of them would stand up against him?

He had hated to fight Janet again. But she kept insisting to stand in his way. Colonel America had been unconscious through most of it. He was still stuck in the body of T'Challa son. Hank hadn't wanted to harm him, so he'd just knocked him out right from the start.

Hank knew he had to find a way to get to whomever Stark had and kill them. He thought of a million plans to get there, a million ways to do what he needed to do. But in the end it was as easy as stepping into a helicopter and heading over to Rykers. Hank wasn't even sure why it annoyed him so much, that they made things so easy. Too easy.

He kept his hands in his pockets and stared around at the people in these walls. He could imagine how he'd restructure the building, Put the birthing chamber in the big room and set it up so the babies could then be taken to another room where they'd spend the rest of their life till they were old enough to be used. Maybe for fifteen years or so, just old enough to know if maybe they were mutants, you wouldn't want to waste a superhuman on flesh. Fifteen, maybe even twenty years, that'd be about long enough to ripen the flesh. They'd never need to fear, never need to want for anything, comfort, entertainment, it'd all be there. Make them used to go to the visiting room, so that when they were ready they'd just follow their caretakers and wouldn't fear their final visitors in a room, ready to be cleansed as soon as the meal was over.

Just as he was starting to think of how to set things up, so that each would get their fair share; he arrived in front of the cells. And of course it was Parker. At least he wouldn't have to kill someone that he actually liked.

Parker stared back at him. Hank almost looked away. It was only through sheer force of will that he didn't. Now all he had to do was kill him, and the threat would be over with.

"I'm not sure Reed." Tony sounded less sure of himself than Hank was used to from his old friend. He knew he'd have to make sure they wouldn't lose Tony. His mind was too great to be wasted. "T'Challa was right. They might be human now. But they're still zombies in their minds."

"You saw the video of what happened on that Skrull world, if any of them get free and spread the infection; we're all doomed." Hank stared back at Johnny, desperate to get away once he realized that Johnny knew the truth.

Hank fought the urge to hyperventilate. Instead he said something about taking the blood samples to his own lab for further investigation and went out the door. He only stopped to check up on Parker's home address.

He had to hurry up his tests and Parker was as good a test subject as any. After all, beggars can't be too picky.


	9. Chapter 9

Peter sat on the wall, staring at the ceiling. Then he turned back to the glass wall. They'd removed the two way mirror after he'd broken it. Tony seemed annoyed when he broke it, muttering something about false advertising.

Peter couldn't stand looking at the mirror, for a second he'd seen his human face staring back at him and it disgusted him. He'd tried to crush his face on the glass, tear it to ribbons. But the guards had tried to sedate him. It didn't work of course, but Peter didn't want to harm them by accident. A doctor came almost up to the energy wall, promising him they'd remove the shards, all he had to do was stand back. So he had.

He wished they just took out the glass as well, and made the metal less shiny. Because no matter how much he tried, he kept seeing his own face look back at him.

"You're a monster." It told him, deformed to his dead carcass. "You know it, they know it. So why keep pretending you're a nice guy."

But he wasn't pretending, was he? He sank down, ready to smash his face to the cement.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why do this?"

"Why do what?"

"You're being annoying."

"No I'm not."

"Yes you are"

"Mommy!"

It didn't seem like his mind was agreeing with itself, though both halves of his brain seemed to think he was a pain to deal with.

"Bust in the head, destroy the brains, the eyes are the mirror to the soul, pierce them apart. You could try better than hide under the bed; I could see your legs."

He could feel him coming before he even saw him. Hank, he was alive. Peter couldn't tell you how he knew it wasn't dream Hank. This Hank felt much more real to him than this world did. This world where dreams came true and the monsters were hidden.

Hank stared at him and Peter looked at the floor, at his drawing of them all. He breathed into it and formed Hank's face in the dust, branding it in the cement to make it real, touchable. Hank left, almost too eagerly and Peter wondered why, why anyone would let him go.

"I ate my wife and aunt, why did I do that?" He asked a question he'd asked a million times before. "I loved them and I ate them, and they're gone, so long gone. Hi Johnny, took another trip on the magic frog?"

"No. I didn't bring any Skrull for you to eat either. Sorry about that."

"Skrulls taste slimy, they're ickier than Badoon." Peter said as he thumped the floor, causing ripples in the stone. Johnny grabbed his arm.

"We wouldn't want the building to tumble down, now would we?"

Peter stopped, staring at his drawing. He bit his lips, they shouldn't be there. His teeth felt wrong.

"Should promise a quick death rather than promise no harm. Who wants to be eaten alive?"

Johnny was still holding his hand. Then he realized what he was doing and pulled back.

"Spider-Man, we need to know where the others are. Are they human too?"

"One went out the hall, down the long hall where the green men stand." Peter tried to answer.

"Damn it. Do you even understand what I'm asking?" Johnny hissed, raised his arms in exasperation and acted as if Peter hadn't just answered his question.

But he wanted to help, wanted to help the dream, the dream was good, even with its filth. People were in the dream; May had been there, so maybe MJ was too.

He hit the floor.

"He was here, came down the hall, down the hall with the windows, whispered words and wanted murder, but then he left, left us."

Johnny started shaking his shoulders, staring at him. Then he let go, and looked away. 'Shouldn't trust me with your back' Peter wanted to tell him.

"Spidey please, you have to get a grip. Lives could depend on this."

Peter hit the drawing again.

"Was here, went down the hall, down to the green men! Down the hall, down that way, down the rabbit hole and gone."

"Damn it." Johnny stood up and stomped off to the door, and then he looked back one last time and stopped. He looked down to the floor and stared.

"Oh god, he was here! Reed!"

Reed's elastic floor showed up in front of the glass, he seemed terrified..  
"Johnny what are you doing in there, he's dangerous!"

Reed had infected himself and Johnny and Ben and Sue, he couldn't be trusted; Johnny could be. But Johnny trusted Reed.

"Reed, that wasn't Hank." Reed looked puzzled. Peter wanted to wring his neck, not that it would do much, but it would make him feel better.

"It wasn't our Hank."

"Oh God."

Reed instantly grabbed his phone, said something into it. Peter kept sitting on the floor. He should stay here, nice and quiet and cause nobody any trouble. Because he was dangerous and he was a threat and if he were quiet then Johnny was safe;

"He thought we were too greedy, take it slow he said. Eat them one at a time and they last longer. But it's impossible to tell your stomach to stop. It just kept rumbling. Can a man live on air alone?" He continued almost whimsically. "There was this one world, with beings made out of wind and dust, so we took a deep breath and pulled them in. They tasted like ashes."

Peter closed his eyes, remembering the sheer beauty of that world.

"Hank didn't like them. Said they were useless, so we ate their planet instead."

Some of them had tried to escape even then, but their myriad forms soon evaporated into dust that went smoothly down their throats.

"There were rainbows and kittens and long shiny things, but none could compare to our sweet angel's wings."

"Do you know where he went?"

"Off to the shadows?" Peter wondered; where would the giant go to hide and who would he seek for breakfast?

"You have to help us." Johnny seemed so sincere, but he didn't get it.

There was only one answer: "I have to die."

That's when Reed closed the force field down and came in.

"Actually Peter, you don't."

Peter didn't understand.

"But I have to." Didn't they understand that? "Stains of blood on hand and teeth, they'll never be clean."

"Peter if you die, you won't stay dead. I'm sorry, I'm truly deeply sorry, but you can't die, if you do, our world, our very universe, may well be doomed."


	10. Chapter 10

Janet woke up to pain. It had been so long since the last time she felt it, she almost rejoiced. And then she winced, because pain still hurt. She was strapped to the bed with tight covers. A moan left her lips as she tried to turn around. It was then that she saw a young woman standing in the room. A nurse, the first thing Janet noticed about here was a large shiny bruise along her collarbone. .

"Where?"

Janet wasn't even sure why her mind focused on it. It just did.

"You're awake, that's good," The girl seemed about ready to rabbit. "I'll go get a doctor."

"Where am I?" Her throat hurt, it felt like she'd just swallowed a chain of barbwire.

"You're at Bellevue Hospital. Your friend T'Channa brought you in."

Janet closed her eyes.

_Falling down to the ground, human. Even now her body instinctively allowed her to shrink down and use her wings to fly down. She landed on the top of a garbage can. It nearly fell over when something landed besides her with a thump. Not one something, two of them. She was the first back up and went to check on them. T'Challa's son. It took her a second to realize that he couldn't be T'Channa. T'Channa died months ago; someone had shot him in the back while they'd been hunting for animals. (Not that there had been many left, with the hunger any meat had been good, even if human meat had been the preferred variety.)_

_And yes, she knew how silly that sounded, coming from a woman who'd been dead for forty years. It was the Colonel, or what as left of him in T'Channa's body. He seemed unconscious. The second one was Hank. Janet tried to help him get up._

_Memories were hard to deal with; remembering the people she'd killed before Hank had bitten her head of, literally_.

She needed to get out of the bed; she needed to warn people, the Avengers. Instead she just lay there, covered under warm sheets. The sensation of feeling that harsh fabric against her skin was almost overwhelming.

"I need to…"

It took all her power to sit up, and pull the sheets away. The infuse was in her way.

"It's alright; you just need to calm down." The nurse tried to stop her. "You had a heart attack."

"I have a heart." Janet could hear herself whisper. "I have toes and fingers. He took it away."

_Hank had been furious that she'd looked at T'Channa first before coming to him. But he tried to pretend it hadn't mattered. Even now, Janet knew him better than that, the old memories still stuck as a raw wound that never quite healed. God she wished Reynolds was still around. She couldn't even imagine a world without him in it._

_"Whatever happened, it gave us a second chance." Hank said. "We could make things better, do things better this time."_

_And all Janet could think of was to wonder why she didn't remember the city being this dirty. It had always looked so much shinier and lighter in her memories._

"He's still out there."

"Do you want me to call the police. They've been waiting for your statement."

"Police?" Yes, there had been police, not just the Panther guard, the old day had had cops and army and so much more than them.  
"They can't stop him." She knew this, she'd tried to stop him and she hadn't been able to, so how could they stand a chance.

_"I just have to change things." Hank said. "The next time we just need to make sure we control the hunger."_

_"Hank, there's no more hunger. It's gone." And it was, for the first time in what felt like forever, there wasn't even a remnant of the hunger in her non existent, now once again existent guts. "We're…" She stared at her hands, her real hands, not those of the robot body that Forge had built for her. "We're human again."_

_Hank shrugged it of._

_"But we don't have to be. Reed was right, evolution like this is a dead end, the infection just allowed us to cross the limits of that."_

_"Are you even listening to yourself?" She was just disgusted at the idea of what he seemed to be suggesting. Didn't he remember what they'd done?_

_"We could protect humanity. Keep them safe."_

_She put her hand on his chest, just trying to make him see reason._

_"Hank. We killed people."_

_"Well a few…"_

_"Hank, we killed everybody." She was almost crying. She hated crying, she wasn't this weak child. She was better than that._

_"Because we got greedy. This time we could do better. Even Reed saw -"_

_"Reed was insane Hank. He just lost his children."_

_"They were weak. Reed understood that."_

_"Hank, what's wrong with you?" She backed away, the insanity in his eyes, it horrified her._

_"Nothing's wrong Janet. You don't have to worry. I'm as right as I ever was. It's the logical solution."_

_Janet didn't want to keep listening to this, he didn't even hear her._

_"Is a sheepherder wrong, when he cares for his flock? When he takes one of their number and eats it? Does that mean he loves them any less? Of course it doesn't."_

_"Hank, you're talking about people. I can't let you do this."_

_"Oh come on Janet. Not this again."_

_He seemed almost annoyed with her. She lifted her hands, ready to shoot him._

_"Why do you make me do this?"  
And then he'd …_

"I have to go, find the Avengers." Janet said as she forced her legs of the bed. She barely managed to stand up.

"The Avengers?" The girl seemed stunned, as if ready to call an alarm.

"My ex-husband is planning to turn earth into a smorgasbord; I'd say that requires the Avengers. Don't you?"

Then she almost fell over. The girl was just in time to stop her from falling.

"I have to go. The fate of the world depends on it." And God, yes, she knew just how stupid that sounded. Like something out of some kid's cartoon. But that didn't stop it from being right.

The girl tried to push her back on the bed, Janet shrunk herself, flying a few feet before falling down. It was only the girl's quick action at catching her before she hit the ground that kept her from a pretty long drop. Even her wings were busted.

"Damn it Hank. Why did you have to be like this."

The girl finally went and placed her on the bed and Janet sank down as she grew back to regular size.

"You're the Wasp?!"

Janet didn't bother to look at the girl. She still stood there.

"You're an Avenger!"

"Yes. I need to call them." Janet hated how petulant her voice sounded.

"Look, just stay in bed, and I'll get you a phone. But you can't get up right now. It could kill you."

Janet started laughing. The girl looked scared by it, but it was the only logical response. Kill her, as if she hadn't been dead already, so many years of being a corpse, and not even a full one, that it seemed more familiar now than this state of being alive.

"I'm sorry, I'm really sorry. You just don't know."

The girl seemed to hesitate then she almost ran out of the room and came back with a cordless phone. Janet tried to call the Avengers. To her surprise the number didn't work.

She nearly crushed it. Had she forgotten the number? Maybe she got a digit wrong. She'd only been using that one, and her bank number and her social security number as a crutch to get through hours of sitting there, doing nothing, while Reynolds worked on her body.

"Why aren't they picking up?"

She thought about calling the FF, but then she remembered Reed. She couldn't trust him and she didn't know Sue's number. It had been so long.

"I need to get to the mansion."

She tried to get up again. The girl tried to stand in her way, but Janet didn't let her.

"At least let me get you something to wear." It was only then that Janet noticed she was naked. She'd forgotten about that, regular clothes wouldn't shrink with her, not if they weren't treated. God it had been far too long since she'd been able to use her powers.

And Janet sat there until the girl came back, about ten minutes later. By then she was once again wearing the hospital gown that had fallen off when she shrank. She first tried to put the dress on by herself, but had to give up after the third time her bruises made her cringe. After that the girl helped her put it on.

It was an ugly dress, and if she'd had a choice about it, she wouldn't have touched it with a ten foot pole. But at least it wasn't a hospital gown that opened in the back.

The girl then helped her up, letting her lean on her as they left the room. Every step felt like walking on nails while caught in an iron maiden.

Damn it Hank. Damn you to hell.


	11. Chapter 11

His back was starting to hurt from sitting still on an uncomfortable chair behind a greasy desk in a halfway lit interrogation room. That and the cops barely even bothered to ask him any questions. Peter had to keep from smiling as he realized they pretty much assumed he knew as little about what was going on as they did.

Since they weren't entirely wrong, he didn't bother to mention talk of Skrulls or clones. He'd considered calling the rest of the Avengers earlier; but decided against it. He couldn't have one of the cops checking the number and finding out about it.

He sank back in the chair, leaning away from the table, balancing on two legs.

"So what did they do to the guy."

Peter could hear the two cops talking right outside of the room.

"The nutcase?"

"Who else?" That was O'Neill, Vin's partner. Maybe he could hitch a ride back to the apartment with Vin later? If he was lucky. Which probably meant no.

"I heard from Vin that he only stayed at Bellevue for about three hours, then he attacked that Initiative guy they sent. Vin said they were still cleaning up the mess when he left."

"So where is he?"

"Rykers."

The door opened again and Peter's chair thumped back on all fours. As he stared at the cop entering the room. He rolled his eyes at them and tried to stay as calm as possible.

It worked out; they let him go only an hour later. Peter tried to behave as normal as possible. He smiled, waved at Vin's partner and grabbed his bike. He hurried past a few alleys and ducked past traffic, taking risks that wouldn't be possible without his spidersense. He wasn't normally this careless, but the idea of that double being in the authority's hands gave him goosebumps.

What if he showed spiderpowers and they decided to come check up on him again? What if they just let him go to catch him later, and there were capekillers waiting for him back at the apartment. It took him a few blocks to convince himself that his apartment was the best place to be right now.

In the end he decided to go anyway. If he didn't, it'd just make them even more suspicious of him. Aunt May had called, she was worried about him, asking if he knew about the look-alike. He hated to tell her he didn't have a clue. Just a coincidence he'd told her. But with the Parker luck in place, there was just no such thing as coincidences.

He opened the door and noticed Vin waiting for him on the couch. Vin seemed to suspect something, but Peter pretended not to notice. Instead he took of his coat and placed it on the hanger before heading for the kitchen. He carefully went to his side of the fridge and took out some of the noodles he had left.

"So what happened." Vin didn't even bother to turn to him while asking his question, to focused on the television set.

"Pure coincidence. I think."

Peter took out a spoon.

"I guess we all have a double somewhere." Or more than one in his case.

Peter hoped that Vin would just drop it. He couldn't deal with questions right now. So he plunked down on the couch, noodles and all and got ready to watch the game.. The Mets were supposed to be playing. Soon Vin grabbed a bag of chips and the two of them were throwing them at the screen whenever the other guys came close to scoring.

Peter barely even noticed there was danger approaching. He seemed to have a lot of trouble with that lately. Like his spidersense was on a constant state of messing up, barely enough there to be annoying. Still he went up to the door. He had to keep Vin away from it, who knows, with a bit of fast talking, he might stop anything before he had to endanger his secret identity.

Hank Pym was at the door. Peter nearly threw it in his face. He had to fight the urge not to make a run for it. If Pym was here, would SHIELD or even Stark be much behind.

"Hello Peter, or should I say… Spider-Man."

This time Peter did throw it in his face, or tried to. Pym stopped it before it could close.

"We could fight, but I'm pretty sure your … friend over there, is not aware of your extra curricular activities, or is he?"

Peter took a step forward, letting the door fall closed behind him.

"What do you want, Hank?"

"Don't worry; I'm not going to tell Tony. I just… need your help. You wouldn't mind helping an old friend, now would you?"  
Peter's spidersense was buzzing on a high level

"We are still friends aren't we?" Hank's smile was as smooth of one of those used car salesmen, one of those guys that could show you a wreck, without an engine, and four spoiled wheels, and sell it to you like it was brand new.

Peter knew he had no choice. If he didn't go with Hank now, he'd probably do something that would let Vin know what was going on. Peter wondered if it had anything to do with the double. If it did, then he was fucked either way.

"Sure."

He didn't open the door any further.

"I just need to go get my stuff."

Vin got up when he saw Peter come back in, Pym put his foot in the way before the door had a chance to fall shut. Thank God he stayed at the door, hidden just out of sight.

"I've got to leave, big tip," was all Peter told Vin; before grabbing his bag with his web shooters and his camera in it. He knew he should put his costume in, but he didn't think he'd have a chance to get it out of the laundry basket without Vin noticing.

The way Pym looked at him made Peter worry, but he was sure he could handle it. Long as his web shooters didn't clog up or ran out again.

He tried not to look at Pym; instead he tried to check the surrounding area, wondering if Pym had brought SHIELD or the police with him. Hank was talking about something, how he had a plan to save the world. Something to do with evolution. Peter wondered what was up with him. Sure, he might not be as smart as Stark, Pym or Richards were, but he knew enough about biology to know that the analogies that Pym came up with; made no sense.

And all the time the tingling of his spidersense kept distracting him.

"You know Peter." And then there was that look in his face. "I was planning to ask some of those new kids from the Initiative to help me with this." With what? Whatever it was, it didn't sound good from his side of things. "But thinking about it. I'm much better off with you."

Peter wondered if he could make a run for it. He took a quick look back for a way out. He was hit in the back before he could escape. His face hit the gravel and Peter had a hard time staying conscious, his back was hurting. Pym knelt next to him, and brushed through his hair as he did so. "Don't worry Peter. You're going to be a hero."

Peter was pretty sure he didn't want to play…


	12. Chapter 12

Reed helped Johnny get the seemingly young man to a chair in the lab. He pretended not to notice how the former zombie kept checking on Johnny to see if he should follow Reed's suggestions. Something was wrong here, and it hurt that he didn't know what it was.

He'd talked to the older T'Challa earlier; the man had been just as reluctant to deal with him. Almost as if T'Challa didn't even want to talk to him, let out see him. Reed shook it off and started the bio scans as soon as Peter was sitting down. They only confirmed what he already knew. The man was definitely a carrier for the infection. There was something holding it back, keeping him alive. But as soon as that was shattered, the virus would activate, turning it's carrier into a homo necrotis canibalis, or a maneating zombie as Johnny had put it so quaintly..

Reed filed it away while taking the opportunity to find out just how the power cosmic had gotten settled into the deceptively frail man's body. Parker was insane of course, but that was no surprise. After what he'd been through, after what he'd done, Reed would be far more worried if the man had not been bothered by it all.

"So how did it happen?" Johnny asked. Reed tried to stay out of sight, since Peter seemed to fall still whenever he saw him, but he did listen. Any new information they found, might one day save them if the infection were ever to hit their own world.

"Ashes fell and so did the Sentry."

Peter seemed to get lost in his memories as he tried to express something too horrible for anyone to grasp. "The colonel bit in like a cowboy in red meat. Felt like a cow as I went to the ground, went down, thought it was that and then I found out it wasn't. The others saw me and I thought I fooled them, made them believe I was what I hadn't yet become. But they knew, they knew it was too late already. MJ, May, I ate them. I loved them and I ate them."

And it was odd to listen to this confession, this confession of a man who'd become a monster that kept coming back to those two names; MJ and May.

Reed assumed they were a Mary Jane Watson and May Parker. The first one had been a long time paramour of their own version of Parker and the second was his aunt. She'd been a volunteer at the homeless shelter that their new friend had first been found at. Reed wondered if her proximity to the place had anything to do with the location that Peter had turned up at. Their world seemed to differ in so many ways. From political events, to superhuman conflicts.

They'd never even met Galactus until the giant had made the mistake of visiting their earth after the infection had hit. They'd barely even known about the Skrulls, nor had they been visited by the timelord Kang. Not that this was surprising since their world had been depopulated long before Kang ever even encountered his first time machine.

They urgently needed to talk to Luke, find some way to contact the New Avengers and have them keep a look out for either some new version of Luke Cage or Wolverine. He'd probably be best of just telling Ben about it and let him make sure of it. It was better not to ask Ben how, or whom else he stayed in touch with.

Tony had already sent out feelers for anyone who might have or could possibly be contacted by the zombie-infested world's version of Steve Rogers. Or Colonel America as he'd been known as in that world. Reed still had a hard time dealing with the fact that in that world, Steve had actually been voted president. He could believe that Captain America could have gotten elected, but the fact that Steve had actually accepted the nomination rather astonished him.

His phone buzzed and he quickly picked it up while still halfway listening to Johnny and Peter.

"Reed, I went to Hank's lab. You were right."

It was the last thing he'd wanted to hear from Rhodey.

"Whomever's replaced Hank has been using his lab as a slaughterhouse. So far we've found remains of over a dozen victims. Only one of which we were able to identify."

"Who?" Reed felt cold chills pass through them. Had the zombies already started reverting?

"Eric O'Grady. The new Antman." Rhodey sounded guilty. "When he disappeared last night, I just thought he went awol. He's hardly what you'd call reliable. I just never even considered…" Reed could practically hear the other man pull himself together. "The bastard ate him Reed. And from the security footage in the lab, he did it while O'Grady was still alive."

Reed turned back to Johnny, about ready to pull him away from the former zombie. But it seemed like Peter was curled up in the chair, rocking with deep sobs that seemed to come from the depth of his soul.

"Why didn't the sensors pick anything up? We've got the height of surveillance at Camp Hammond, yet none of them seemed to give a peep when one of our own was replaced by a cannibal."

Reed wanted to tell him, he really did. But would it start a panic?

"Rhodey, I'm sending through a biosample. You need to check the recruits, if any of them have been infected with this agent; you need to lock them up right away. As soon as you have, I need you to evacuate all the non-infected recruits."

"Evacuate? But why? Reed what's going on."

"Rhodey, I…" But what if Gauntlet found out, or one of those that answered more to people like Gyrich, rather than those of the children in the camp. If word got out about this, then people like Gyrich were likely to kill any and all of the recruits, rather than risk a spread of the infection. Not that Reed could blame them in this case. In fact, if they didn't stop this threat, he would have no choice but to issue a warning to the White House and have them bomb New York before the infection could spread amongst the heroes and envelop the rest of the world.

He rewatched the images automatically taped as Johnny and the others had been in that other dimension. Seeing those … zombies cull their way through the city, slaughtering an entire city in a matter of minutes - what chance would earth have if they didn't stop it right from the start?

"Just do it Rhodey." He said, trying to sound cold and calm, rather than terrifed.

"What do I do if any of them 'are' infected."

Reed closed his eyes. He didn't even want to consider the possibility.  
"You kill them, shoot them through the head and make sure to destroy their brains."

Rhodey protested as soon as he said the words, but Reed continued before he got a word in..

"If they're infected, they're already dead, and they'll just be a threat to the others. Killing them before they turn; would be a kindness. He just prayed that God would have mercy on them for what they would have to do in the coming days.

"They were all gone." The former zombie whispered. "Every each one of them, all the species and all the worlds in the entire universe; and then we went home."


	13. Chapter 13

T'Channa was confused. He'd never seen so many people in one room together as he had since he arrived here. In fact, there seemed to be more people in this building, than there had been in all of New Wakanda. It made him feel odd, he thought it was fear, he hadn't felt like that since he was a child and member of the community had been telling stories about how the world had ended, and began anew. He remembered stories that his father had told him, about the old days, when the world had been full of people and the empty shells of city had been crowded and full of noises. Before the end of days.

The police officers had kept asking him questions, yet he barely understood the meaning of their words. All he knew was that Miss Wasp needed his help and they wouldn't let him see her. So when he saw her with a young woman, coming towards him he instantly ran up to her to help.

"T'Channa." She cried when she saw him. "Is it really you?" She'd been surprised to see him before as well. All he'd done was call her Miss Wasp as he'd done since he was a little kid.

"I don't know what happened, Miss Wasp. One moment I was talking to Mister Cortez about a hunting expedition, and then, I was there, in that alley with you and that … man; the monster that attacked you."

"I know T'Channa, oh God. I can't believe it's you." But who else could he be?

"We have to get to the Avengers." She said. "We have to warn them."

He remembered those stories too, of how the Avengers had saved the world time after time, Those were the stories that had made his father smile when he remembered them. Stories of Thor, the god of thunder, Lord of the Storms, Colonel America, a mortal so respected that any who heard him would gladly follow him into hell; of Hawkeye and the Witch, of men and women who lived their lives serving the world and the people in it. Until… until the day they failed. He wasn't sure what to think. He wasn't even sure what was up or down. So he decided to fall back on what he'd always done when he was a child; whatever Miss Wasp told him to do.

A man came up to the Miss Wasp's friend, scaring her. T'Channa put himself between her and the stranger.

"You don't have to." Her voice sounded sweet, almost like that of Clarissa, God he missed her. "It's just my boyfriend."

"If he is your partner, then why are you scared of him?" She flinched at the words. "Any man who gives you cause for fear, is not worthy of that title."

She looked down, T'Channa wanted to lift her face and tell her that she had nothing to be ashamed of. But he didn't think she'd listen to a stranger like him. The man looked their way and took a step back when T'Channa glared at him.

Miss Wasp didn't seem to notice, she headed outside, forcing them to hurry to follow her. Even injured, she moved like a force of nature. T'Challa froze as he noticed the chaos outside of the building. Dozens, no hundreds of cars, actual driving cars that stank to high heaven. There were so many of them, so much noises and people. Everywhere he looked there were people. People that yelled, horns blazed and T'Channa stood there overwhelmed by a million different experiences all at once.

Miss Wasp got in the middle of the road and held up her hand, forcing a yellow car to stop mere inches in front of her. T'Channa gulped as he realized how close the car had come to hitting them.Miss Wasp climbed in, and T'Channa followed closely behind her.

"Avengers Mansion and make it fast."

The young woman stepped in with them, T'Channa didn't know what to say, but she was sitting rather closely to him. He wondered how to tell her that her hand was on his leg. He didn't have to, she quickly pulled it back.

"I'm T'Channa, " he told her, it was odd being with someone who's name he didn't know.

"I know." She cringed as he looked at her. "I heard you talking to the cops."

T'Channa wasn't sure what to say to that. What did she mean with cops?

"My name's Lisa. Lisa Torres" He couldn't help a smile, his mother's name was Lisa.

T'Channa offered her his hand, while nearly pushing his elbow into Miss Wasp who yelped. That surprised T'Channa; she had never seemed to feel pain before. .

They stopped in front of a broken down building. It looked a bit like the shrine that his father visited every once and a while. The cursed place, as the others called it. T'Channa had always thought it looked pretty, with the big building and the statues.

"What happened?" Miss Wasp seemed to be in shock as she stared at the building. The cabdriver stared at her as if she were insane. T'Channa wanted to slap him for that.

"Where have you been, hiding under a rock or something?" He glared at her as if she were some kind of fool. It made T'Channa want to slap him in the face. "The Avengers broke up, before the Civil War. One of them went insane and then there weren't any Avengers for a couple of months."

"But where are they now?" She still sat there, mouth wide open; her arms crossed, hoping for something, T'Channa didn't know what.

"Stark Tower I reckon. That's where those government flunkies' versions of the Avengers hang out. "

T'Channa desperately wanted to ask Miss Wasp what government flunkies were. But he kept his thoughts to himself.

The driver continued without caring about their reaction. "Now if you want the real Avengers, them brats hang out somewhere in the city. A cousin of mine brings them pizzas some times."

Real Avengers, government Avengers? T'Channa didn't care, as long as Miss Wasp wanted to see Avengers, either group would be good, right?

"Can you take us to them?" she sounded almost desperate. T'Channa wished he knew how to make her feel better. She was always so sad.

"Why?" The driver clearly didn't trust them. Trust was a weird thing to have to earn, weren't they all human?

"The sake of the world depends on it." Miss Wasp said. T'Channa still had a hard time grasping the differences in her voice. She sounded… almost human.

The driver looked at them, as if assessing them.

"You'd better make this worth my while, is all I'm saying."

T'Channa didn't think he liked the man. He did like the feeling of Lisa's hand on his leg.


	14. Chapter 14

Waking up had this moment, this one instant of feeling like he belonged. It was almost as if he expected a nice warm body next to his, a gentle touch and a cute bit of a snore to wake up next to him. But it lasted no more than brief seconds, before he woke up, stretched his arms and realized he was alone.

This time when he tried to stretch his arms, he soon realized that he couldn't move his arms, they were tied next to him and the same had happened to his arms. His back ached and he looked back, barely noticing a wooden board underneath him.

He shivered realizing that someone had taken his shirt and there was something wrapped tightly around his arm, stopping his blood flow. He tried to pull loose, but the cuffs wouldn't let go.. Pym, Hank Pym, had knocked him out and…

Peter thrashed against the board when he noticed Pym. The scientist was dressed in a white lab coat over his uniform; he was wearing a pair of glasses and going through something that was just out of Peter's sight. Peter spat out the rag between his lips and started coughing.

Pym noticed the sound and smirked. Peter tried to pull free again as the madman came at him with a syringe.

"It'll just pinch a bit, and then this'll be over all too soon."

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Peter sputtered as Pym pushed a syringe in a vein. "What the? You can't do th…" he couldn't even finish the last word as Pym pushed the rag back between his lips. Peter thrashed as Pym grabbed a role of duct tape and locked the rag even tighter.

"No talking Parker, I got tired of your voice twenty years ago and I'm not about to listen to it now."

He'd gone nuts. Peter hadn't even met the guy until fifteen years ago, or was that twelve.

Peter tried to break the restraints, but from the look on Pym's face, the madman seemed to be prepared for that. "These chains are strong enough to stop me Parker, so they can sure as hell stop a pipsqueak like you from getting away.

"Do you realize just how much you've made my life a living hell?" Peter had to catch his breath as Pym hung over him, the stench of rotten cheese blowing in his nose. Pym grabbed Peter's hair and pulled him closer. The man was insane.

"How much you made what was already unbearable even more so with your whining and crying about your pathetic little wife and aunt." Peter tried to pull back. "As if the rest of us hadn't made our own sacrifices to the hunger."

Peter stared at him in shock. What had happened to Hank? He'd seemed normal the last time Peter had seen him during their battle with the Hulk. But now?

Pym pushed away, he pulled open a few more of the boxes that were spread around the room.. "But noooo, not Peter Parker, he just has to think his pain is so much worse than that of the rest of us." By now, Peter didn't even know who Pym was talking to. "He's so sensitive!"

Peter wondered when he'd stop monologuing. Or that he'd at least let him get a few good quicks in. It just wasn't any fun bantering when one side cheated like this.

"Not this time Parker. This time I'm ripping out your tongue if you even think of talking while I'm around."

As if I need my tongue to rip a loony tunes like you apart.

Pym pulled a case with syringes out of one of the boxes and started displaying them on a tray. Peter was pretty sure he didn't want to know what was in those things. He was also pretty sure they weren't hygienic.

.

Then Pym backhanded him, making Peter's head hit the board he was tied to. Now that's just against the Geneva convention. His ears was ringing so hard, he almost missed the noise at one of the windows. Peter tried to look for something, and barely noticed the shadowy figure behind the broken glass. Vin? What was he doing, he shouldn't be here?

He couldn't yell at him to run, but he desperately looked at his roommate, warning him with his eyes, as if to tell him to get away, now, before Pym noticed him as well. But Vin was too much of a cop to listen to that.

Pym didn't even notice them until the door burst open and Vin came storming in along with his partner.

"We've got a code 10-59, urgent backup required over at…" Peter could barely hear O'Neill finish. "Officers going in." But they shouldn't be. It was too dangerous.

O'Neill kept talking into his radio, repeating the word code gold, which stood for superhuman involvement, Peter guessed he was probably calling in to the station.

Vin kept it simple: "Freeze, police." Peter somehow doubted that that would impress Pym all too much. Peter wondered if Pym was going to comply when he saw him raise his arms. Maybe he was just going to tell them he was making an arrest. Spider-Man was wanted after all. But then his spidersense rang through his head like a bell, and he knew that wasn't the case. He wasn't even sure what he was seeing when a ray of silverish power came from Pym's hands, aimed at Vin and his partner. Vin managed to get out of the way, O'Neill was shot in the leg. Or more accurately, had his leg blasted half off.

Peter struggled even more fiercely against his ties. Pym started shooting. It was now or never Peter finally managed to pull at least one hand loose, not by breaking the cuff, but by tearing through the wood of the rack that it had been nailed into. He pulled all his strength towards doing the same for his other hand and legs.

But as he did so, Pym got closer and closer to hitting Vin. His aim seemingly improving with each blast. O'Neill tried to help; he grabbed his pistol and started shooting at Pym. Peter stared in shock as the bullets just bounced off the man's hide. Sure Pym's suit was probably bullet proof, but he should at the least be wincing. He wasn't even giant sized..

"I am a God; you're nothing but mice, biting at your betters."

Peter pulled the rag out between his lips.

"Vin, run! He's too dangerous"

But Vin wasn't about to listen.

"Go, grab O'Neill, save yourselves."

And once again, no such luck.  
"Call the Avengers damn it!"

And it was then that Vin fell against another one of the crates, accidentally forcing it to the ground and breaking it open. There was something inside of it. Peter had no idea what it was supposed to be.

Vin touched it and all of a sudden the thing crawled over the cops arm, forming something, the next time Pym started shooting at him, Vin almost instinctively raised his arms to protect himself and a barrel formed at the front of the device, shooting off some kind of energy blast.

It didn't end with one shot, or two, or even three, but after the fourth Pym was down, with a huge hole in his chest. Peter closed his eyes, he had trouble breathing. The idea of anyone killing for him…

He couldn't stand to look at the body, not anymore.


	15. Chapter 15

Things were quiet at the western front, or at least at the Rand owned apartments that Danny had offered as headquarters for the Avengers. Clint had been peeling a citrus food, careful to release the fruit from its shell with a penknife, without spilling a drop. Danny would complain if he made a mess.

He was on watch duty, in theory this meant keeping a look out for criminals or SHIELD agents at risk of finding them, in reality it was pretty much boring work with no purpose beyond sitting there, pretending to be useful. . For some reason Spider-Man always managed to skip out on it, claiming to have other priorities at hand. Clint would believe that the second that Spidey stopped coming in to play video games.

One advantage of being on watch duty, is that you got to pick the music, no matter how much any of the others complained. Clint was grooving on a new band he'd found through some bit torrent site, hey what use was being a rebel, if you couldn't protest the high costs of the record industry. And if you don't buy that excuse he had a few others handy as well.

He randomly checked back on the monitors and noticed some commotion down stairs. It seemed like they had visitors. Clint stared at the camera. Janet. He had to take a second look to make sure it was her, it sure didn't look like her, those weren't any kind of clothes that Jan would ever willingly put herself in. And he'd seen her wear some pretty bad rags. (which she still called high fashion)

Luke and Danny were playing Final Fantasy in the lounge when Clint pressed the alarm. It never ceased to surprise him, how men who'd keep playing even when their food was getting cold, would drop everything in their hands as soon as they were needed. Clint stared at the camera again. How had she found them? Did Stark know where they were?

He didn't recognize the people with her. Neither of them looked like SHIELD agents, the girl was wearing a hospital nurse's outfit and the man was wearing scrubs.

"Luke." Luke nodded and moved to the door, stretching his knuckles, while Danny grabbed his mask and joined him. Clint reached out for the sword behind his back as they waited by the door. He tensed up as he heard the sound of footsteps coming up. None of them expected her to actually ring the bell. Luke opened the door, letting her in. Glaring at her two companions, the younger girl flinched back a few steps as soon as they noticed her. Clint crossed his arms, not sure what to say now that they were face to face. He was going for a harsh approach, but then he saw the bruises in her face, or the way she was barely holding on. It was clear that her companions were the only thing keeping her from falling.

"Jan? What's going on?"

He ran up to her, helping her to a couch.

"Hank." She didn't manage to say much more than that, before Clint nearly lost control. He was going to kill the bastard. He was going to tear him apart.

"Clint, no! It's not like that." She seemed so weary. "It's worse. I'm not… I'm not the Wasp you know. Not the one from this world."

She was shivering and the girl with her seemed to look for something, she smiled when Danny handed her a blanket to give to Janet.

Clint sat down next to her; Danny headed for the kitchen, Clint didn't need to follow him, to know he was preparing a pot of tea. Jan looked so small, her hair untied. Her hand looked almost dainty the way it tried to pull back the locks, create some kind of order from the mess.

"The world I'm from, the Hank from our world…." She froze up, as if unable to continue. None of the Avengers knew what to say to her. Only moments away they'd been getting ready to fight, now, they didn't know what to do with the tension.

The black man with her was still standing there, while the girl was fussing over Janet.

"I'm T'Channa, that's Lisa." The guy said. Clint nodded, but he didn't really care. "Lisa's from this world, she's a nurse."

Clint wanted to tell the guy, T'Channa, that he didn't really care.

"The driver, he said you were the 'real Avengers'" T'Channa continued. "You do not look like any of the 'heroes' my father told me about." The way he put an emphasis on the word 'heroes', made it sound like the word didn't exactly mean what it was supposed to mean.

"Really, that's interesting." He didn't care. Clint went to the kitchen and got some bandages, it looked like Janet needed them.

"My father said that your kind used to protect the planet."

"And who's this father of yours supposed to be and why should anyone, or more particularly me, give a damn?"

And who was this nobody to be judging them anyway?

"His father's T'Challa, Clint. He's the Black Panther's son."

That got his attention. He turned to the stranger, taking a closer look at him. He did look a bit like T'Challa. "Isn't he's a bit too old for that? I don't know about Wakandan tradition and stuff, but I'm pretty sure that even they don't start… you know before they're at least in puberty."

"We're from a different dimension Clint. Time moves different. We're from at least forty years in your future."

Clint took another look of Janet, checking out both her face and figure, she was gorgeous.

"Well, … you sure don't look your age."

That was the first smile he got out of her since she'd come in. Then she flinched in pain.

"Shouldn't have done that, I really shouldn't have done that."

He touched her hand.  
"So why are you here?" And why didn't you go to the other Avengers, he wanted to ask. But he didn't.

"In our world, something happened, and things went horribly bad." Clint really dreaded having to ask for more information than that, the horror in her eyes alone was enough to tell anyone that this was painful to her, just to think about it.

"As in, your world overtaken by zombies bad?"

They both turned to the door to see Ben Grimm standing there.

"How did you know?"

She stared at Ben who was holding a tranquilizer. Ben pushed it down fast enough, but he was still holding it. It looked weird in Grimm's large hands. Ben crossed his arms, never letting go of the tranquilizer.

And what the hell, did he mean with zombies?"

"T'Challa showed up at our place."

"Why in Gods name would he do that? Richards is the last person he should have been talking to. Hell I'd talk to Doom before I'd go to Richards."

Janet seemed furious. Clint didn't understand why

"Doesn't he remember what happened last time?" She started stumbling and Lisa quickly helped her back down.

"My father's here?" The big black guy tried to ask, but no one was listening.

Clint was now completely and utterly lost. Danny came in with some tea and tried to give everyone a cup. Only Janet and her two friends accepted. Most of the rest just accepted one of the beers that Luke handed out.

"Guys, can we get back to the zombie subject? And what any of this has to do with where you're from or what you're doing here?"

Ben grumped, the way he looked at Janet, it was like he expected her to just get up and attack them any moment now. "She's a zombie."

"She's what?" Clint looked at Janet, she didn't look like a zombie.

"Or she was." Ben looked at her as well. "In their world all the heroes got eaten by and or turned into zombies and now some of them started showing up, just to cause trouble. As if we didn't have enough of the homegrown variety.."

Janet glared at Ben. She'd obviously been trying to put it less crudely, but from the looks of it, she wasn't denying it.

"We seem to be back to human," she said, "but I don't know how." She thoughtfully gazed at her tea as if it held all the answers in the universe. "One moment we were standing around the dimensional transporter, the next we were here, in the city, human. Hank was acting insane from the second we arrived."

"Like Spider-Man insane?"

And now Clint really didn't have a clue anymore, and from the looks of it, neither did Janet.

"Tony's people found him; they got him up at Rykers. Seems like he's gone totally bananas, not that he had all that far to jump to get there to begin with."

"Was Peter talking about wanting to go back to being a zombie and turn the world into a utopia that could feed the hunger for ages?"

"Uhm no." Ben looked a bit flabbergasted.

"Then no, he's not Spider-Man insane."

Peter? Who was Peter?

Clint was just about to ask more when he heard a call for back up on the police wires. Some cop was asking for help. Some superhuman had gone insane, one hostage.

"Man this guy looks like Pym." He heard the cop calling in say, before a scream." Luke quickly increased the volume. On one side you heard the voices of the dispatchers, trying to get more information. On the other side, someone was screaming for help.

"Oh God it's Hank." Janet whispered. "We have to get there." She was trying to get up. Lisa pushed her back down in the couch.  
"It'd kill you." The girl stated as matter of fact as she could. Clint knew that Luke had already called the Night Nurse. She'd be here as soon as she could but until then, they just had to make sure that Janet stayed here.

It seemed like they had a world to save.


	16. Chapter 16

Johnny sat next to Peter's bed. He was using a towel to wipe the sweat of the man's face. Peter was still caught up in throws of pain. Right now, Johnny would rather be fighting Doctor Doom than sit here through the suffering of this alternate of a friend of his. He remembered the monster that this man had been in another world. A monster, yet somehow still wracked with guilt even then.

The worst part that he'd remembered was the smell; it had pervaded the Skrull world they'd been in on a matter of minutes, a smell of death, of blood and of decay. He'd joked about it, but seeing friends disfigured, monstrous, it had been horrifying on a level that most supervillains could never hope to get.

Peter had finally fallen asleep half an hour ago. He hadn't wanted to, had tried to fight it, but Johnny had promised to stay next to him before handing over the sleeping pills that Reed had put ready for him. They were supposed to provide a dreamless sleep. It didn't seem like they'd been strong enough. Johnny had promised he'd try to keep the bad dreams away. Ten minutes later, he had had no idea how to keep his word as Peter's face was steeped in horror and soft begging fought with tears.

Johnny hand lingered on the suffering man's head, brushing the wet towel through hairs clinging with sweat. "It wasn't your fault." Silly words, but they were all he'd been able to think of saying. Saying it once hadn't been enough, but Johnny kept repeating them, gently dabbing the towel while his hand touched Peter's skin. Even unconscious that bit of human contact seemed to be a comfort.

"Johnny?" Reed stood in the door. Johnny shushed him. He didn't think his brother in law understood why he was doing this. Johnny couldn't exactly blame him; it wasn't like he himself understood why he even cared. He'd seen the monster that Peter had been, yet seeing him lying here like this, all he could do was feel sorry for the man. He should be caring more about his victims, but they weren't here now, Peter was; Peter and his nightmares, his memories, that seemed to last a million years in every passing second.

He wasn't even aware when something changed and Peter suddenly sat up, he pulled away from Johnny. His eyes glowing, this seemed to happen more and more often.

"He's back."

Johnny started to ask questions, but Peter wasn't listening. Then before Johnny could stop him, Peter just moved his hand in the energy barrier that was supposed to keep him locked in; it didn't hold up even long enough to put up a sputter.

Johnny ran after him.

"Peter! Spidey, what's going on?"

He didn't want to hurt the guy, but he couldn't just let him go. Peter was too dangerous to be let free, that and somehow this seemed more important to him, Peter might get hurt out there. And the way he behaved, he wouldn't even care. Johnny wished that the only reason he cared was because of the threat that Peter would present if he were to die.

He barely managed to get his hand on Peter's shoulder before the other turned his face towards him and replied: "He's dead. The giant's dead and getting hungry."

Then he took off in the air and flew through the halls, Johnny hesitated a second before pressing the alarms and following after him. .

Johnny couldn't believe how fast Peter was, he yelled at him to wait for him and Peter stopped. "You shouldn't be there. He bites and he gnashes."

"Well 'you' shouldn't go on your own."

But Peter didn't listen and was gone. Johnny remembered how they took out entire cities in a matter of minutes and it was seeing the speed with which Peter flew that made him realize how they'd been capable of that. It still didn't stop him from trying to keep up, following the trail that Peter had headed in and hoping that the former zombie wasn't throwing him for a loop.

He wasn't.

Johnny didn't even stop to answer his communicator, just pressed the button so Reed and the others would know how to locate him. It halted him for a few seconds and he increased his speed afterwards.

"Oh god, don't let him be heading out of the city."

Seconds later they arrived and it seemed like they were too late already. Pym was huge, which made the gigantic hole in his chest look even larger. Johnny was sure he'd be able to fly right through it, if he wanted to. Which he vehemently didn't, in case you were wondering.

Johnny could see legs sticking out of Pym's mouth, quickly swallowed as if he were eating a gummy bear. Peter was on the floor, bleeding. Wait, not Peter, or well he was Peter, just not the one he'd been flying in with. This was their Peter and yes, now he was confusing himself. Couldn't those guys just use different names so he could keep them apart, maybe put on different costumes or something?

Johnny tried to head in when a field of pure power formed around him, stopping him from getting closer. He started aiming his fire at it, tried to fly around it, over it, under it, none of it would do.

At the same time one Peter was getting up from the ground, while the other was aiming more power at the zombie giant.. Johnny was just about to give up and just call for help when cavalry arrived. The New Avengers, them and Ben; which admittedly wasn't much help, not in a fight with an enemy that you had to make damn sure not to touch.

Nice guys and all, but few of them where heavy hitters. And they didn't even have Wolverine with them. Johnny would be more worried about them getting infected, but it seemed like the same force field that was keeping him out, was keeping them away as well. Johnny flew up at them, noticing that that at least was still allowed.

"What are you doing here?"

"Me? I was just following our friendly neighborhood former spiderzombie." He aimed another few fireballs at the force field. It shrugged them off as easily as it did Luke and Ben's blows or Iron's fist's whatever he was forcing on it. "What about you?"

"Heard Pym was making a rumble, thought we'd come and join the party."

"Just too bad, that the bouncer isn't letting us in."

"Damn impolite of him." Ben lashed out another blow but like everything else, it didn't even cause a ripple.


	17. Chapter 17

Vin knew he should be focusing on the gigantic zombie that had just eaten his partner. The one that stood so tall he'd just burst through the building they'd been in. The one that got up after Vin had somehow used the thing on his arm to shoot a hole through his chest. As in the one that should be the subject of a crime investigation, as in lying still, with him possibly getting questioned about acceptable use of firearms. Or well futuristic alien looking weaponry. But the one that instead of all that was now standing, talking, well growling and shooting some kind of raybeam at them.

He wanted to throw up. Either that or focus on the fact that said zombie kept grabbing out to him. Vin figured that if the guy just wanted him dead, he'd be dead already. But he had enough experience fighting regular criminals to know the bad guy was going for maiming and laming rather than the kill. And no matter how bad he felt now, he was pretty sure that getting used as an appetizer by a superhero turned cannibal would feel even worse.

Yet of all those things, there was only one thing that kept playing through his mind.

"This is what it's like to be a superhero? Wow."

It was nothing like it looked like on television, scarier than it seemed in the comic books. But God, it felt like he was more alive in these moments that might be his last, than he'd ever been in his life before. No wonder that there were so many of those vigilantes out in New York, he hadn't had this much of a kick since he was a kid still excited by the roller coaster on Ferris Island.

The weapon on his arm was forming some kind of force field to keep him from being hit, while at the same time bouncing said energy back at the giant. Vin knew that Peter was behind him and it was up to him to protect his roommate. He just hoped the guy was coping with this better than he was; Vin had just barely gotten him out of the way after Pym attacked him.

It had been weird. Once he'd seen Pym go down, he'd headed off to Peter; He knew he needed to get him to safety before he got hurt. Peter had yelled, "Watch out." But before he could even turn his head, something grabbed him and threw him to the wall. He didn't even know how he'd been able to use the weapon he found, he just knew that it was the only thing keeping him and Peter alive right now.

Pym had attacked Peter first. He'd jumped on him and Vin had had to shoot him off. Vin didn't understand why a hero like Hank Pym had kidnapped someone like Peter, nor did he have a clue what had gotten into the guy now. But he was still a cop and he had a duty to protect, no matter what kind of weapon he was using to do so. When the capes showed up, he was almost ready to just grab Pete and get out of there. Let's forget almost, he tried to drag Peter out of danger, but some kind of force field kept him from getting away. Several other people in the area were stopped as well.

It wasn't hard to find out who was causing it, since the only cape that seemed to get into the area was some flying guy hovering above them. Vin stared up at the guy dressed in little more than a white shirt and a pair of stretch pants. In between the sun shining behind him, and the glow coming from the man himself it was hard to keep looking at him. Then he saw his face, and his eyes. It was the same crazy double of Peter's that had shown up at the shelter. Only now the crazy guy was shooting energy beams instead of blabbing out nonsense. The same kind of energy beams that the zombie was now throwing at them.

He was stupid, wasn't he? For not realizing Pym had had the same glowing white eyes that Peter's double did. Peter was trying to get up, Vin tried to tell him to stay down, but Pete was crawling towards his bag. What was supposed to be in there? A shotgun? He didn't think that anything less than that would do any good. He stared in wide open shock when he realized just what Peter was getting out of the bag.

"No! No way! You bastard!" Vin shouted the words. "You can't be him!"

The webbing hit Pym straight in the face, Peter jumped up, kicking at Pym and was swatted away, his head hit the wall. But he bounced right up, like one of those little bouncing balls that his younger brother used for ping pong. Pym didn't even seem to bother aiming any more of those power beams at him.

Vin shot another blast regardless. He wasn't about to give up now.

And that's when things got really weird. Peter's double started shooting at Pym, taking off one of the zombie's arms before blasting the bottom of Pym's cheek off. It didn't stop Pym for more than a second and pissed him off. It pissed him off so much that he took off into the sky, after the other flying guy. Vin almost laughed at the look on the rogue Avengers' face as they looked up at their foe, even more unable to get to him than before. And when Johnny Storm tried to do so, he seemed to fly right into something and fell down. That had to hurt.

Vin could do nothing but stare up, as Pym kept trying to hit the flying double. Somehow this strange Peter Parker Spider-Man wannabe seemed to manage to avoid any and all hits. It was like watching a very gross and extremely unsettling sky ballet. One where both parties tried to turn one another into Swiss cheese. Though it seemed like the old maxim still counted, the bigger they are, the easier they are to hit.

Vin wondered if he should just be trying to escape and let them fight it out. But he decided not to. He was going to have to have a very long talk with his roommate. He still didn't understand how the bastard had managed to keep something this huge hidden from him, while they lived in the same apartment.

And what about those murders? Was he guilty?

Fucking Spider-Man for crying out loud, in his apartment, and he'd actually let the guy use his towels. He'd shared his youghurt with him…

This was going to cost him his job, he was sure of it.


	18. Chapter 18

Flying, floating, being up in the sky without a parachute was one of many things that Peter had never quite gotten used to. Part of him still wanted to shoot out some webbing and move on with a thread between him and a million mile drop. But he didn't have that much webbing left, so flying became one of those things he did.

It was like making a drop from the Empire State Building while the light on your web shooters was already flickering; telling you your supply of webbing was almost finished. And you prayed that you had just enough to get you down safe. Even though experience told you it would last. Just this once.

The clouds looked… red. Everything did.

It began with the mad man, just like now.

One bringer of dead, just like now

The heroes came to save the day, just like now.

He'd arrived to help then, just like now

And they would all fall.

It's why it had to be stopped, now, while he still stood a chance. He had to keep them away from the Sentry, no not the Sentry this time, Pym. It wasn't easy keeping up shields, he had never before used Galactus' power quite like this. Most of what they'd been using the power cosmic for was energy beams. Taking down force fields, or blasting through personal shielding so they could get close enough to eat.

He'd never cared much about defending himself, his body reacted instinctively to danger, but other than that, he'd rather wanted to be shot, taken down. But this, this was different. So he focused on the shield, trying to spread his attention between taking on Hank and keeping everyone else out. It was only after doing so that he realized there were still victims around. News media who got to close, looking for the big scoop, police men who had arrived earlier. Some of them holding injuries. Where any of them infected? He didn't know. And the 'hero' who had been fighting Hank when he arrived.; he couldn't let him out either.

Everywhere he looked he saw ruins and fire, every voice he heard came as from a skeleton, begging for mercy that wouldn't come. He saw torn faces and smelled rotten flesh; and he knew, it had to end, here and now, or just get ready for another ring around the daisy. Circling, forever and evermore.

He never did like folk, even if it was still better than Celine Dion.

Hank grew ever taller, like a beanstalk, moving up to the clouds, trying to reach the kingdom of the skys and lavish himself on the rivers there. Peter jumped out of the way like Jack of the beans, playing maze around the giant's fingers.

"You smell like death Peter. Don't even fool yourself into thinking you don't."

Peter winced as he felt the pain of the impact on his shields. Why couldn't they just understand and stop bothering the shields, he was breaking up here. Giants and silver skies, flowing like water. Johnny and the others were staring at him through the looking glass, fighting to shatter the glass.

"I can still get to them." Pym whispered to him, his words came out slurred, their meaning barely understandable, in a voice that the entire city might well be hearing. Peter cringed and renewed the urge to fight, he had to hold up that force field, push them away. Hank grabbed a reporter, his cameraman dashed out of the way.. Even with half a giant lower jaw gone, it didn't stop Hank from trying to bite in. Peter aimed and caught the man before he dropped two stories to the ground.

He didn't seem infected, but how could they be sure, how could anyone? He had no choice but to grab a steel bar and lock him in a sphere. It wouldn't take long to open it, either for him or Hank, but even seconds of delays saved lives. Waking up was worst, that sinful moment of realizing just what you'd done, when the haze flittered away, leaving you with the reality of death and gore. Would this man have that? Was he dead already?

He remembered the way MJ's flesh felt on his teeth, her hand reaching out to him. "Peter please, no!" He remembered telling May to run, but she didn't listen. She didn't think he could possibly be a threat to her. He remembered tearing the flesh off of her bones.

And he knew, he knew that he had to stop this. There was nothing worse than this horror, better to die a quick death than to be torn apart, eaten alive; or almost worse, being the one doing the eating and waking up in horror, red, blood and death

He couldn't hold back any more. He didn't want to harm anyone, he'd killed so many already. So many that all their faces meshed together in two, May and MJ both of whom kept looking at him whenever he closed his eyes.

But he was wrong trying to protect them like this, it never worked, he could fight and evade and keep up his shields, but it wouldn't last forever. Sooner or later he'd slip up, leave a crack, go down like an egg, leaving egg yoke and guts all over the floor. And if he did, would he be hungry again?

So he went up to touch the fog, reaching into his inner pink giant and went to diner on all the energy he could find. He focused his need on pulling in as much of it as he could, collecting every spare bit of energy flowing around him, dropping the shields, dropping everything, building it up in his chest until there was nothing but him and his target.

Hank had stood there over the last humans even after Peter blew half his head off, and it had taught him, it wasn't enough to get in one lucky shot, he had to do more. He had to prove he could do this.

And then he found him, found the energy inside of them, all of them here on this earth. Not just in Hank, but everywhere. He found enough of it and saw how it wanted to unite again. And he pulled that in as well, there was so much of it, so much and more, it was a call, threatening him to explode and just end it there and then. It might destroy him, it might not, but it'd end. Hank was screaming, building into a crescendo of pain that Peter knew he couldn't possibly be feeling. Not physically.

Hank fell, went down hard, like the giant in a Power Rangers cartoon, taking the building behind him with him as he fell to the sand. It was a big boom, almost enough to shake the ground all over and beneath them. But he fell, and the building fell, and dust clattered up as Peter went in for one last blast, begging for forgiveness a million times over as he whispered one name. "May."


	19. Chapter 19

Peter sat on the wall, staring at the ceiling. Then he turned back to the glass wall. They'd removed the two way mirror after he'd broken it. Tony seemed annoyed when he broke it, muttering something about false advertising.

Peter couldn't stand looking at the mirror, for a second he'd seen his human face staring back at him and it disgusted him. He'd tried to crush his face on the glass, tear it to ribbons. But the guards had tried to sedate him. It didn't work of course, but Peter didn't want to harm them by accident. A doctor came almost up to the energy wall, promising him they'd remove the shards, all he had to do was stand back. So he had.

He wished they just took out the glass as well, and made the metal less shiny. Because no matter how much he tried, he kept seeing his own face look back at him.

"You're a monster." It told him, deformed to his dead carcass. "You know it, they know it. So why keep pretending you're a nice guy."

But he wasn't pretending, was he? He sank down, ready to smash his face to the cement.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why do this?"

"Why do what?"

"You're being annoying."

"No I'm not."

"Yes you are"

"Mommy!"

It didn't seem like his mind was agreeing with itself, though both halves of his brain seemed to think he was a pain to deal with.

"Bust in the head, destroy the brains, the eyes are the mirror to the soul, pierce them apart. You could try better than hide under the bed; I could see your legs."

He could feel him coming before he even saw him. Hank, he was alive. Peter couldn't tell you how he knew it wasn't dream Hank. This Hank felt much more real to him than this world did. This world where dreams came true and the monsters were hidden.

Hank stared at him and Peter looked at the floor, at his drawing of them all. He breathed into it and formed Hank's face in the dust, branding it in the cement to make it real, touchable. Hank left, almost too eagerly and Peter wondered why, why anyone would let him go.

"I ate my wife and aunt, why did I do that?" He asked a question he'd asked a million times before. "I loved them and I ate them, and they're gone, so long gone. Hi Johnny, took another trip on the magic frog?"

"No. I didn't bring any Skrull for you to eat either. Sorry about that."

"Skrulls taste slimy, they're ickier than Badoon." Peter said as he thumped the floor, causing ripples in the stone. Johnny grabbed his arm.

"We wouldn't want the building to tumble down, now would we?"

Peter stopped, staring at his drawing. He bit his lips, they shouldn't be there. His teeth felt wrong.

"Should promise a quick death rather than promise no harm. Who wants to be eaten alive?"

Johnny was still holding his hand. Then he realized what he was doing and pulled back.

"Spider-Man, we need to know where the others are. Are they human too?"

"One went out the hall, down the long hall where the green men stand." Peter tried to answer.

"Damn it. Do you even understand what I'm asking?" Johnny hissed, raised his arms in exasperation and acted as if Peter hadn't just answered his question.

But he wanted to help, wanted to help the dream, the dream was good, even with its filth. People were in the dream; May had been there, so maybe MJ was too.

He hit the floor.

"He was here, came down the hall, down the hall with the windows, whispered words and wanted murder, but then he left, left us."

Johnny started shaking his shoulders, staring at him. Then he let go, and looked away. 'Shouldn't trust me with your back' Peter wanted to tell him.

"Spidey please, you have to get a grip. Lives could depend on this."

Peter hit the drawing again.

"Was here, went down the hall, down to the green men! Down the hall, down that way, down the rabbit hole and gone."

"Damn it." Johnny stood up and stomped off to the door, and then he looked back one last time and stopped. He looked down to the floor and stared.

"Oh god, he was here! Reed!"

Reed's elastic floor showed up in front of the glass, he seemed terrified..  
"Johnny what are you doing in there, he's dangerous!"

Reed had infected himself and Johnny and Ben and Sue, he couldn't be trusted; Johnny could be. But Johnny trusted Reed.

"Reed, that wasn't Hank." Reed looked puzzled. Peter wanted to wring his neck, not that it would do much, but it would make him feel better.

"It wasn't our Hank."

"Oh God."

Reed instantly grabbed his phone, said something into it. Peter kept sitting on the floor. He should stay here, nice and quiet and cause nobody any trouble. Because he was dangerous and he was a threat and if he were quiet then Johnny was safe;

"He thought we were too greedy, take it slow he said. Eat them one at a time and they last longer. But it's impossible to tell your stomach to stop. It just kept rumbling. Can a man live on air alone?" He continued almost whimsically. "There was this one world, with beings made out of wind and dust, so we took a deep breath and pulled them in. They tasted like ashes."

Peter closed his eyes, remembering the sheer beauty of that world.

"Hank didn't like them. Said they were useless, so we ate their planet instead."

Some of them had tried to escape even then, but their myriad forms soon evaporated into dust that went smoothly down their throats.

"There were rainbows and kittens and long shiny things, but none could compare to our sweet angel's wings."

"Do you know where he went?"

"Off to the shadows?" Peter wondered; where would the giant go to hide and who would he seek for breakfast?

"You have to help us." Johnny seemed so sincere, but he didn't get it.

There was only one answer: "I have to die."

That's when Reed closed the force field down and came in.

"Actually Peter, you don't."

Peter didn't understand.

"But I have to." Didn't they understand that? "Stains of blood on hand and teeth, they'll never be clean."

"Peter if you die, you won't stay dead. I'm sorry, I'm truly deeply sorry, but you can't die, if you do, our world, our very universe, may well be doomed."


	20. Chapter 20

It was like watching a crazy replay of the civil war, with heroes fighting one another and civilians desperately running for cover. All they had to do was move over to Times Square and things would be even clearer. Cops were trying to close down the perimeter around them, but that didn't help the cops already trapped on the scene or the reporters who seemed to have lost what little sense they had left by choosing to stay here instead of running for their lives. Johnny wasn't sure whether to commend them for their bravery or curse their stupidity for staying around to serve as appetizers if Pym got back up and grabbed hold of them. Did they really have that much faith in their heroes, that they figured the Fantastic Four or the Avengers could keep them safe? Or did they just not realize the risk they were in. Johnny tried to get Peter's attention. But the guy just wasn't listening. Didn't he understand that he couldn't do this on his own?

The forcefield kept fluctuating, giving them hope they could get past it, but so far, none of them had had any success. Reed had been calculating odds, building some kind of device that should get them past the field, but so far had been unsuccessful. Johnny had heard him talking over a communicator, when he'd sneaked a peek earlier it turned out he was talking to T'Challa and T'Challa, both of whom seemed to throw each other weary looks as they argued with Reed over the best way to go.

Johnny had wondered why neither of the two had come over, but the younger one was busy with something in Wakanda, and the older version hesitating coming anywhere near Reed. Johnny hadn't bothered to try and listen any further than that. He didn't have a clue what they were talking about to begin with. Instead he kept his eyes on the sky.

So it was no wonder that when the forcefield dropped and Ben fell right through it, Johnny was the first to notice the fireworks above them. Peter was lighting up like a Christmas tree, topping the party like a star.

Johnny stood there, mouth gaping wide. What the hell was Peter doing? Reed was too busy with his work to notice it, he was arguing some numbers with T'Challa. In the end Johnny had to grab Reed's arm and force him to raise his head and look up.  
"Reed, some help here..."

Reed's face stretched into terror.

"Oh god, these readings… we have to stop him."

"Why?" It was hard to get over the zombie's wail of agony. That wasn't something that happened in the movies, not even in the Evil Dead trilogy

Reed stretched his arm and grabbed his computer pad, adding in some numbers. He seemed to grow even more concerned, which in regular humans would translate to dead scared.

"If he doesn't stop, that blast he's building up to may well destroy the entire city."

Peter was going to destroy the city? "But why?" Johnny couldn't understand it. Even with all he'd done, Johnny couldn't imagine Peter ever willingly killing anyone.

"One city for the world." T'Challa spoke with quiet determination. "He's reckoning that he has to stop Pym and anyone he's infected now, before it spreads." T'Challa stood there, eyes closed. Johnny startled, how had the old man gotten here without him noticing? T'Challa was still holding on to his handlink. "I wrote files after it happened, about ways to stop the plague before it spread. One of those ways was to destroy New York City, before the zombies got out of it." The old man stood there hesitating. "One city for a world." He repeated.

"But isn't that wrong, father?" They all looked up at the new voice. T'Challa stared at him in wide mouthed shock. Johnny had seen the guy arrive with he rest of Cage's Avengers. But he hadn't really paid attention to him until now. "You can't just sacrifice some lives to save others, aren't all lives equally valid?"

"T'Channa?" There was wonder and disbelief in T'Challa's words, something beyond simple shock, he seemed stunned, and reached out to him as if ready to find himself facing an illusion. Johnny remembered the woman who'd been T'Challa's wife in that other world, he remembered her showing their T'Channa a baby.

God they sure grew up fast.

The two men looked at one another and then T'Challa grabbed the other in a hold, as if he wouldn't let go. Just to men, family, finding one another again in what might be the last moments of their life. Johnny had to look away to find Wasp standing there. She wasn't dressed in anything he could imagine Janet ever wearing. The shirt definitely didn't do her skin color any favors. She was barely keeping to her feet, she was standing by sheer force of will; her face looked battered and bruised.

"You're one of them right?"

She wasn't listening to him, her attention focused on Pym who was on his knees by now.  
"Hank." She whispered his name; with so much venom that Johnny had to take a step away from it.

Johnny wasn't sure if she even noticed him, or Peter who was till building up to the big kabang. Reed was working on something, probably something to neutralize Peter before he let go. Or at the very least find some way to contain the blast.

But that was Spider-Man up there, still. Even now, after all he'd done. It was also Spidey down there, bleeding and both versions of the man were friends of his. And friends stuck with one another. He had to believe that, or he'd be flying up to someone with power levels to rival Galactus, with no more protection than his own flames. Even as he did so, he had to avoid bursts of energy. He could see that Peter wasn't aiming them at him. Peter wasn't aiming anything at anyone, he was too focused on something else for that.

Johnny wasn't sure if he even wanted to find out what that something else was.

"Peter, wait."

And miracle beyond belief, Peter actually listened to his voice and turned to him to listen.

"If you do this… you'll kill May."

He wasn't even sure why he stopped at that, he wasn't sure why Peter stopped at that. But Peter did stop; he froze up, stared down at his own hands and fell.


	21. Chapter 21

The hunger felt an old friend, he almost welcomed it. It made it easier to accept how much he wanted to taste human flesh. Yet at the same time he blamed Parker. If Parker had just cooperated, if he hadn't had to knock him out to get him to cooperate, then he could have found a way to modify the serum.

It didn't have to be like this, he was sure of it. He wasn't a monster, it was the hunger. If he'd found a way around that, if he could have kept himself from being a slave of this infernal need to keep eating, then things would be perfect. He was strong now, human barriers no longer held him back. He could have become humanity's protector. But because Parker just couldn't be quiet for once in his life, it was all ruined, his body damaged and the hunger once again reigning supreme.

Was it so bad to take some of the humans around him and eat them? Even if it were, didn't he have the right?

And then both Parkers had doubled up on him, one version assailing him with webs, while the other… the other had been the worst. He was a thief; he'd taken the power, the very center of his being and made it worse. Destroying what last restraints he had, all while pretending he was a better person just because…

But he wouldn't win. Hank could make sure of that. He just had to get up and he'd have the beginning of an army right here. It only took one more, and then another one and another… It was only a matter of time. There were so many, just a bite, a single snack, making sure he didn't end them, let them live just long enough for the infection to set in…

He could do that. He was Hank Pym, he was Giant Man, he was strong enough. He had to be strong enough, he couldn't be a failure. Not again. Not… Flesh, so much of it, all around him. Just one more bite, eat one more pile of flesh so he could clear his mind and explain his case to Janet. Make her see he was right. She couldn't blame him for one more meal, or two, or three.

"You understood, Reed." He threw at him. "You chose to be infected once, you're smart enough to understand it now. Follow me and you'll be able to protect your children. This time you can keep them safe, if you just help me. Give me what I need and we can protect them all."

Reed would want it, he decided, he had back home. So he was the first to take out. But an invisible force field appeared before he even got close. He still had some power, just enough to waltz through it. Just barely. But it took out of him, and it made him slow.

Parker was falling now, and Hank knew that if he got to him, ate him, he'd get all that juicy power as well, enough to make him think, enough to eat them all. And this time, he wouldn't have to share. He liked that idea. He liked the idea of an entire planet full of flesh, all for himself.

He could be the new Galactus, serve the purpose that Galactus did, serve his destiny.

Just look at him lying there, curled up, holding on to the power that he'd never wanted in the first place. Acting like a baby with a wet diaper. It pissed him off. Why did Parker always get to act as if he were the only one who cared?

But at least Johnny was making it easy on him, flying towards him. As if he thought he actually stood a chance. And of course once Johnny did that, Reed came right after him. Hank couldn't have arranged it more perfect if he'd arranged it himself. Who cared about a few burns, when he had a flying snack right in his reach?

Suddenly he noticed something hitting the back of his head. He tried to swat it away, only to notice that it was the other Parker. He forced him to the ground. Then something hit his eye. He looked down to see Iron Fist standing there, using powers he'd never had at home. Cage was with him, along with two people he didn't recognize. Not that he had anything to worry from some generic ninja guy. He wondered if the guy would splat to the right or the left if he stepped on him.

No, not that; he had to keep him alive. God he was hungry, so hungry. He tried another attempt at getting his hands on Johnny, but Sue's forcefield kept him from getting close while Ben was trying to grab a hold of his leg. Hank tried to shake him off with all the power inside of him. He managed to throw him several blocks before Reed hit him with some kind of gun.

"Oh come on, I'm doing this for your own good." He tried to say, but the words came out slurred. Reed didn't care, he just fired another shot.

Hank fell to his knees, forced to shrink down, he tried to fight it, but his body refused to obey. What had they hit him with? He could feel something messing with him inside his blood and grabbed his head. He was burning, he was hungry and he just wanted to grab someone anyone, and have a bite to eat.

"They could still save you, you know that." He stared up at her, at her eyes. "We could put you down; lock you up in a room until the hunger goes away." Janet was there, his Janet, in her own body, talking to him. She was so beautiful, even with the bruises. Had he done that? Maybe? She shouldn't have said no. He could smell her flesh, all sweet and tasty. Oh Janet.

"You'd want that, wouldn't you?" And he remembered getting past the hunger. Yes he would, it'd be nice to be able to think and create his new world so he could eat for a long long time to come.

"But we still wouldn't be able to trust you."

Then before he could stop her, she shot her stingers at him, the ones he'd given her, so long ago. They hit his head and at first he was laughing, it was ridiculous, she couldn't hurt him. Could she?


	22. Chapter 22

"Is that your definite answer?"

Lisa stared at her cell phone; she'd opened Nick's number already and was trying to think of what to say. Should she apologize for not telling him where she'd gone off to, for not talking to him at the hospital?

"I'm afraid that answer is incorrect." The dry and fakely sweet voice spoke from the television's speakers.

Lisa had been told to wait at the Avengers headquarters. She wasn't even sure what she was still doing there. She should have just gone back to work, or at least told Nick where she was. He got so worried when she didn't. She couldn't help flinching at that.

She had turned the television to the local channel, anything to get her mind of the weirdness she'd gotten trapped into. The weirdness and the fact that she was currently in a superhero headquarters, one that looked like any bachelor's apartment shared by a bunch of guys with more interest in computer games and minibars, than actual cooking or cleaning up. She'd had to put a dirty sock out of the way when she sat down on the couch. She 'd used the remote to pick it up and threw it to the other side of the room.

"We interrupt this program for a special bulletin." She groaned as she heard the words, words all too familiar to all New Yorkers who were getting far too used to dealing with the weirdness that came from living in superhuman central. Even the announcer didn't sound too bothered by it.

"The battle that started at an abandoned warehouse on the eastside has moved on a few blocks. It involves a band of rogue superheroes, more commonly known as the Secret Avengers," the television showed images of the Avengers as they seemed to be hitting some kind of invisible wall, like mime players caught up in an invisible box, "Yellowjacket, " She starred at the image of the giant who seemed to be fighting some kind of flying guy. "and the Fantastic Four. Commuters are suggested to avoid the area until further notice"

Just another day in New York. She should have just left, before someone tried to make it clear to her how she had to keep quiet about this place. As if she were stupid enough to go turn in a bunch of superheroes, and get them turned against her? She wasn't that stupid.

She got up to the kitchen and started a new batch of coffee. By the time she got back to the couch, they were still showing the fight. It took her a second to notice that Janet and T'Channa had arrived as well. The newsreader droned in monotone, probably wishing she was on something more exciting than another step of the civil war breaking out all over again. Lisa wondered if they even realized that this was something else entirely.

She couldn't blame them. If she weren't here, she wouldn't see the difference either. This was New York, superhero fights were practically a daily annoyance. Something you were expected to plan for ahead of time, and that your boss rarely if ever took as an excuse for being late.

She looked at her phone again, the light had gone out. She clicked it back on and considered. If she called Nick now, if she apologized and had him pick her up a block away or so. He might forgive her. She'd just take a sick day tomorrow. It was her fault for heading out with a bunch of weirdos.

"Oh my god." The first sign of emotion in the commentator's voice.

Lisa stared at the screen as she saw the giant pick up one of the bystanders that hadn't gotten away fast enough and eat him. He actually put him in his mouth and ate him. There was something wrong with his face, his teeth and oh yes, a huge giant gaping hole in his chest.

Some guy in jeans and a shirt was throwing webbing at the giant and all Lisa could think was that she wished she could see his face. But somehow his face stayed muddled and just out of sight. The newsreader kept talking, but Lisa ignored him, she stared at the fight instead. The way the giant fell, and then the flying guy. It looked like the heroes were winning. Just in time for the winning shot as Janet Van Dyne, the Wasp came in view.

Lisa remembered that she had been married to Dr Pym, to Giant Man. The man currently playing the big giant cannibal on live television, Lisa wondered if Janet was scared of him. Yet it didn't stop her from heading up to him. She looked even smaller in comparison. Lisa clenched the phone in her hands, her finger inches away from the send button.

"I'm guessing she's hoping to talk her husband down into surrendering. Hopefully they'll find out what's happened to him and …"

Images were quickly cut off into snow, mere seconds later as the editors realized just what was happening, they went back to the scene, after a few moments of shocked silence as the camera was aimed away from the giant corpse.

"Oh my god, Janet Van Dyne just killed her ex-husband, right in front of us. I can't believe it. Oh God." The reporter seemed more stunned by the fact that a woman, that Janet, had killed someone, than by the fact that the guy she just killed had been eating people. Lisa swallowed deeply, desperately trying to ignore the urge to throw up. Was this what people would say if Nick ever hurt her and she lashed back. Was this what her life was heading towards? She didn't know, she wasn't even sure if she really cared anymore. What would she do if she didn't have Nick? Where could she go?

The reporter just stood there, blathering on about his shock, but in the background, Lisa stared as the flying man got up off the ground. He was glowing, literally glowing. Dr Richards was yelling something at him and all of a sudden the glowing man aimed his arms up to the air, shooting out a light bright enough to blind if you looked into it for too long. He stumbled up and Johnny Storm ran up to him. Reporters were about to go ask him some questions. But the man just stood there, stumbled and fell to his knees. He looked dazed, eyes still slightly glowing. His face looked so young, weary almost.

The reporters were just making their final statements, on about the state of the world, deciding their opinions on a woman they barely even knew when she realized she was seeing the back of the man who'd been throwing webbing about.

Spider-Man, just in sight of the camera. He was holding his stomach. It was when he stared back at the camera for just a second that Lisa knew it in her gut that this wasn't over yet. And it all started with him throwing up.

Maybe she should just call Nick and tell him it was over. There were scarier things in the world than him.


	23. Chapter 23

So his throat hurt; and his gut and his lungs had banded together to kill him. Gee guys, have you never heard of that funny concept called mercy? His head felt like it wanted to be a million miles away and oh yes, his side was still stinging from Pym's attack back in the building. His hand felt wet when he accidentally touched it. But aside of that he was ready to make a run for it. Pretty sure of that. Nope, the fact that he wasn't feeling good wasn't the worst problem he had, the cameras surrounding them were; that and the fact that his double had been flying pulling attention to himself all during the fight.

As soon as he got out of here, he had to hurry up to the shelter and get aunt May to safety, just in case someone had managed to put two and two together. He could always see Night Nurse in the morning. Once he put the lime in the coconut and mixed it all up. His stomach was killing him, what in the name of all that's god and right had Pym injected him with? It was rumbling. He jumped a few feet out of the way as his other self went down.

Pym was still there. Peter had no idea what was going on with him Something had come over him and maybe Reed could find a way to cure him. The way he'd been talking … had that been caused by his illness as well? He hadn't gone down when Vin shot him. Maybe if they managed to take Hank down he could just take his double's example, simply fall over and hope that nobody noticed him till his healing factor gave him a chance to get back on his feet.

He gulped as Janet just…

What was going on here? Had he woken up in some alternate universe or something? Like in that one where his life was a thinly revealed horror story rather than a superhero soap opera. He wondered why he was the only one that seemed ready to do something and then he bended over and started throwing up, his throat was killing him. Anything to get that burning feeling out of his mouth, it felt like someone had poured acid down his throat.

"I don't…." Nobody was looking at him, but then his eyes met his double's. It was like looking in a badly made mirror. The other crawled his way, getting up a step, but never really getting to his feet. Peter wanted to ask him for help, for a doctor, for an Advil.

Just kill him already…

The other knelt next to him, staring up at him.

"I am so sorry." The double whispered.

"Aunt May can I have some advil." Peter had to ask. And then he barely got out of the way as one of those damn dangerous, cut through everything, one in a million, get them today, energy beams were aimed his way.

"What? What are you doing?" He jumped up, on top of Hank's body, landing there for less than a second before getting out of the way again, as He felt flesh scorched away wherever the bots hit.. God his gut was aching. His side was stinging and for some reason his mouth started to water. Something was wrong, but he just didn't understand.

Peter aimed his webshooters, ready to stop the guy in his tracks; he was barely able to walk. He should be able to handle someone who was even less mobile than he was, he'd dealt with worse, hadn't he?"

But his webshooters sputtered and gave out. At least they didn't explode this time.

"Not again." He jumped out of the way. "What is it with these things?" He jumped out of the way; Johnny was flying closer, grabbing the double's back. "Are they on strike or something? Should I start union negotiations?"

The double started glowing.

"And what is it with clones trying to kill me? Can't we be friends?" He had to avoid another blast. "Buddy buddies, have a bite together."

A blast ran through his chest, he touched out to it, not quite realizing what was going on? Why was he still standing, but his gut hurt and he was drooling and God he was hungry, he needed a steak, a nice juicy red piece of meat. And for some reason his eyes focused on the man in front of him

"I'm hungry." The words came out in the flattest tone imaginable. Peter just didn't understand the basic urge of it all. Not just simple need to get a snack, or to go home and ask his aunt for some rump roast. It was bigger than that. He was almost drooling.

Johnny let go of the guy, and backed off. Peter asked for help, but not a single one of them seemed to be ready to jump to his aid. Weren't these his friends, kimosabes, teammates? People that were supposed to have his back; instead of watching on while some freaky double of his was trying to blast him into tomorrow.

"A little help here?" Still nothing. He grumbled and just barely managed to avoid another hit. His hand felt out to his chest that had stopped hurting. There was a big hole where his ribcage was supposed to be. Two hands were aimed at him, like a kid playing cowboy, fingers triggered. And he was standing all alone against his other self. This was taking the phrase fighting yourself a bit too much to the extreme.

"Sorry junior me," The double stated, his voice lacking any kind of emotion as he did so. "No filet of May for you and I'm pretty sure I can't let you have an MJ burger either."

But by now, Peter was barely even listening; all he cared was the hunger, and all that juicy glorious meat. His last thought was to wonder why he didn't feel it when the silver beams finally connected. He didn't even know why he kept thinking that he missed MJ right before his mind went blank.


	24. Chapter 24

The hallway was filled with a soft touch of music in the background, while she waited for them to come get her. She'd been looking down at the piece of paper allowing her to be here. Johnny Storm had waited with her, talking about his new girlfriend while he brought her a cup of tea. May just nodded and agreed. Much as she appreciated his presence, his constant chatter was a insistent reminder of her loss.

Oh she knew he meant well. He was a good boy. He'd been a good friend of Peter's and that crap about them doing nothing while Peter was murdered was just that. They just hadn't been able to do anything. She was sure of that. She could see it in the way he'd reacted when she asked about that day, about what had happened, the pain in his eyes. That wasn't the face of someone who didn't care that his friend had died. Not in a million years.

She could hear footsteps and looked up to see Mister Stark heading their way. He was wearing his armor and walked towards them. The walls were so sterile, as if any speck of dust or life had been removed and dissected far far away from the stainless metal walls. There was not even a hint of scent, even a hospital smelled better than this building; this prison did.

It's like there was a knot in her heart, as if the whole atmosphere was designed to dampen anything positive and made you want to sit down in a corner and cry. Mister Stark had called the place 42, May simply referred to it as hell. For what else could hell be referred to as the absence of hope.

She was quite sure that as soon as she got out of here, she was going to write her congressman and get him to work on closing this house of horror down. Prison was supposed to be about rehabilitation, about making criminals see the error of their ways and then rehabilitate them into regular society, but she couldn't imagine, though that might be the influence of the location in question, how anyone could possibly be rehabilitated after having to stay in a place like this for any measure of time.

They came past several cells and May couldn't help feeling sorry for the poor men and women held captive here. So many of them still believed they'd been doing the right thing. Vigilantes, the unregistered, all alongside real criminals; it just didn't seem right. The worst part was that she knew that if her Peter had been captured, he would have ended up here. Any cell around her could have been his. And she might have never seen him again.

The only reason they allowed her to come, was because Peter was dead. Peter had died, had been murdered and she'd demanded Tony Stark to let her meet with the man who'd murdered her Peter. She'd demanded to see Peter's body, and the pictures they'd shown her filled her with revulsion. To know that the monster hadn't been contented just to kill him, he'd destroyed Peter's head as well, even after Peter must have already been long dead. No matter what powers he might have had, Peter couldn't possibly have survived something like that first injury.

The murderer had refused to see her. She wondered why. He could kill a person she loved in cold blood, but couldn't face her? Why? Didn't he at least want to taunt her with what he'd taken from her? It had taken her weeks before he finally allowed her to come.

"May, you don't have to see him. If you don't want to talk to him, nobody would ever think ill of you for not going through with this."

Johnny had been so kind to her, him, and Sue. They'd invited her to their place, given her an apartment there when the press started bothering her about Peter. They'd given her a job, watching over their children and in a way, she was happy with them. It helped to have people to take care of.

She stared at the cell, hesitated for less than a second and then opened the door. Mister Storm had explained to her that there'd be a force field between her and the prisoner, even when the door was open. But the empty space between her and the murderer was no comfort.

There was no visiting room in 42. The prison had not been designed to allow the prisoners any contact with the outside world. So she stared into his cell, the small room that the man who'd murdered her Peter would spend his time in, at least until he went to trial, and possibly afterwards.

It seemed bare. There was a bed on one side. It looked unslept in. An empty bookcase was on the back wall and she could see a door to a separate place in the back.

He was sitting on a chair, staring at the wall, turned away from her. Mister Stark had announced their arrival, but the stranger hadn't even bothered to acknowledge them. She couldn't help but think that he looked familiar, the line of his back, the way he sat down and sulked. She stood there, staring at him, not saying a word, he still didn't turn around. As if he didn't even feel her eyes in his back.

"Why did you do it?" She was so angry she could…. She could crash a plate to the floor and stomp on it. But she didn't; besides, she didn't have any plates handy right now.

He didn't answer.

"Look at me!"

The way he refused to acknowledge her was the worst part of her. Did he care so little? But then he turned around, and his face, it was Peter's. What had he done?

"I'm sorry, aunt May. I'm so sorry."

"Peter?" She stared at him, at her dead nephew, her dead son, who was standing there. And then she fell unconscious.

When she woke up, she thought it had to have been a dream, but it wasn't. She was lying on a cot in the cell; Peter was kneeling on the ground on the other side of the room, staring at the metal floor. He refused to even look at her. Johnny was standing at the door.

"Peter why? Why did they say you were dead?"

He looked up and his eyes were glowing. They hadn't done so a second ago.

"He didn't want to hurt you Mrs Parker. That's why he didn't want to see you. So you wouldn't have to deal with him this way."

"So you made me believe you were dead instead?!"

May had never been this furious with anyone in her life. How could Peter ever think that believing him dead was better than seeing him here, even knowing he was imprisoned; was better than to believe him dead.

"I'm not; I'm not the man you think I am. That Peter did die. I killed him."

Peter was sitting on the ground, his eyes still glowing. His hair was growing out again and he urgently needed a haircut

"I died over forty years ago aunt May. And for a long long time, I became everything I ever despised in life."

"Peter?"

"I killed myself because… because I didn't want him to exist like I did. To become a monster. I thought if I stopped him now, he'd be safe, you'd be safe. You and MJ."

May got up from the bed and towards Peter. He crawled backwards, away from her as he'd done in the shelter. She realized who he was now.

"I killed you aunt May." His voice broke, pain ringing through. "You and MJ and Jonah; there were so many others. I killed you and I ate you and I couldn't stop."

May didn't understand, all she cared about was that Peter was in pain and he needed her. She silently thanked Johnny as he left the room and she could hear him walk away, leaving the two of them in peace. She didn't understand what had happened, but Peter was suffering, Peter was alive and he needed her; in the end that was all that mattered.


	25. Chapter 25

A bunch of muggers, a couple in trouble, a little boy standing there as he watched his father and mother shot in front of him. Steve had gotten there seconds too late and even when he did he had been forced to do nothing as the mugger ran. All he'd been able to do was to hold the boy and comfort him.

The watcher stared down and could feel the former Colonel America's grief, not just for the boy's sake, but for all those others that he wouldn't be able to save, not without risking his own life. And his life was no longer his to risk. Tony Stark had arrived with him but unlike Rogers he'd been able to go after the thief, taking him down.

He'd looked back at the colonel, his smile unsure as he watched his friend pick up his cellphone and call 911. Stark could have done so himself, easily, but he left that part of the job to the former Avenger

And the watcher did his duty and watched them both.

"So why did it happen?"

The watcher would not say, though his species knew the answer. He knew about the cosmic forces that had stepped in and taken action as soon as the zombies had entered this universe. He knew about that other universe and how its final inhabitants were doomed to extinction.

"What happened to the zombies turned men?"

One could ask.

"They would adapt," The watcher could say with grief in his eyes for all that lost potential. "They'd try and live lives, as men and women are won't to do. But they would never forget. They would sit and wonder about the lives they'd never again be able to live. Not while the risk of infection still loomed inside of them."

Luke Cage would be found days later, sitting in a McDonalds, enjoying a burger that he didn't have the money to pay for. When asked where he'd been the past week, the answer was simple, exploring the pleasures of having a living body again.; watching a sunrise, enjoying the feel of silk on his back or splashing water in his face.

He became a fry cook, the Luke from this new world, was one of his best customers. Nobody ever asked him what the smell of burned meat reminded him of. They were better of not to.

Steve Rogers was the lucky one, the only one who didn't remember. He'd lost so much brain tissue by the end, that none of his memories passed that moment of infection. When told the truth of his world, he swore to try and find a way to make up for it.

Finding out he wasn't allowed to die, that risking his life would endanger the world, ruined even that. He ended up working in a homeless shelter, helping the needy, the lost, the desperate, while feeling as lost as any of them. In the end he and Tony Stark lived out Stark's life together. Tony Stark still missed his Steve and though this version of him was not the one he kept waiting for, they both aided one another in their grief.

Janet Van Dyne was charged on murder in the first degree. An overdrawn charge as her lawyer, Matt Murdock, was all to quick to point out. 'Her victim was already dead,' he would say. 'The man had been infected with a plague that made him a threat to anyone around him. He'd been eating innocent people, and would have tried to eat Janet had she not defended herself.' Janet had stood there and listened to him defending her. No one mentioned what she'd been, her origin being from a different dimension was barely even mentioned. Images were shown of Hank Pym's actions at the initiative. They repulsed a jury all to ready to clear her name and choose her side. . She became a symbol for abused women standing up to their abusers. She never quite understood why. She'd never been a victim.

She would eventually find a young former mutant nerd called Reynolds. He would stutter when she came up to him and started talking to him. The young man blushed whenever she showed affection to him. He would never understand what she saw in him, but he treasured her for the remainder of his life. By the time he died, she still looked just as she had on the day they met. It would be fifty years later. Janet would hold his hand and cry. She never did tell him of the other forty years they'd spent together, the wasted years as she'd never been able to tell him how she felt about him. When she closed his eyes, she shrank down and stayed small for days. She didn't want to be seen.

T'Channa would die in bed, surrounded by his father, his wife Lisa and their many children. Sometimes he talked about his missing son. He was the only one of the group that was proven clear of the infection and he lived and died a hero. By the time of his death the White Panther had become a force to be reckoned with.

But what became of Peter Parker?

After the death of Spider-Man, he was sentenced for murder. He pleaded guilty and refused to take any leniencies. Murdock tried to convince him to tell the truth, that Spider-Man had been infected, to explain about what happened in a closed court. But once he was on the stand, Peter took it a step further and told everyone about the crimes he'd committed in his own home dimension. The billions of people they'd eaten. It was only because he was declared legally insane that he was eventually transferred to Ravencroft rather than 42.

The psychiatrists had no idea what to do with him. How could they, they were used to dealing with psychopaths, with people who didn't even understood their crimes. How did any of that prepare them to deal with a man who'd lost his mind because he grasped the full scope of his crimes and had had no way to stop himself from committing any of them.

He was suicidal, yet there was no need to try and keep him from killing himself, because he understood better than anyone why that wasn't an option. They put him a few rooms away from Cletus Cassidy. Some even hoped that the former zombie could one day break out and just take out Cassidy for them. But like usual, Cassidy refused to play along. He pretty much treated his neighbor as if he were an idol, someone to admire and aspire to be, something that sickened Peter to the core of his being..

Peter didn't want admirers, especially people like Carnage. He didn't want visitors or friends. But that didn't stop him from getting them.

From Betty Brant, to even J. Jonah Jameson, they all tried to come see him. Peter refused at first, with all but Jameson. Jameson took one look at him and asked one question. When Peter answered yes, Jonah left as if he's finally gotten the answer he'd expected to get for years.

A week later he came back, Peter would never tell anyone what they talked about, but it was the last time Jameson would ever call Spider-Man a menace.

Mary Jane Watson visited once, she never came again. He wasn't her Peter.

Johnny Storm kept fighting for Peter's release, it took him a year before they let Peter go into Johnny's custody. May would look after Peter and the kids, and when the kids grew up, she'd just look after Peter. He'd work, earn his keep, and do anything he could to help the city, to help humanity. But his mind was that of a child. Lost, but found.

In the end, his story was one of mercy, of forgiveness, if not full out happiness. But who knows, what isn't yet might still come.

For men or not, when one's death could bring in the apocalypse, who could possibly let them die?"

And then the watcher turned back, looked at Wolverine who stared at him with ravenous hunger…


End file.
